A Changed Realm
by LilyannaSpiritOfTheCheetah
Summary: Jane was finally living happily on Earth with Thor, when he wasn't on a mission to save the world of course, and never thought to see the Realm Eternal again. That all changes when the one thing that could see an end to Asgard for good comes to pass: Ragnarok.
1. Jane and The Avengers

_Disclaimer: I do not own Thor, nor The Avengers.  
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 **Chapter 1 – Jane and The Avengers**

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Jane had learned long ago that she could not stay mad at Thor over his disappearing acts. The first time he had left it was over a year before she saw him again and then only for a very short amount of time when he came to aid the then newly minted Avengers fight his brother Loki. S.H.I.E.L.D. – which, she supposed, had been a front for Hydra even back then – had tried to get her to stay away when Loki appeared and took the Tesseract along with Erik and Clint. She had been on her way to Germany to collect some iridium to stabilize the Tesseract when it happened and the moment she landed the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who accompanied her as bodyguards said she was being re-assigned immediately as another project took precedence. She'd called them on their bullshit, demanding to know the truth and refusing to run and hide when they finally told her. The Tesseract project was her baby. Ever since Fury had read her and Erik into the project and she'd discovered what the Tesseract could do she'd thrown herself into it head first. Erik was right there alongside her, but it had quickly become her project and it wasn't uncommon for her to be a couple steps ahead of everyone else, nor was it uncommon for her to forget to communicate with her team when her mind was working in overdrive, thus the reason she was already going to retrieve the iridium before Erik even knew they needed it. Between her contacts in the scientific community and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s persuasion, a German scientist was to be their source for the iridium; his only request had been for Jane to speak at a black-tie gala he was hosting. Everything went wrong from there.

Clint watched as Loki infiltrated the gathering at the National Science and Research Centre in Germany. The precious Iridium was their target and Clint had to make sure Loki was clear before his team moved in. Everything seemed to be going as planned and Loki was about commence phase one of their plan when Clint noticed something, or rather someone, in the corner of the surveillance video.

"Sir, wait!" he cried, and thankfully saw Loki halt in his tracks. "There are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents all over the assembly." Having seen one, it didn't take Clint long to locate the others.

"And what is S.H.I.E.L.D. doing here?" Loki asked quietly, not wanting to draw attention to himself just yet.

"I'm not sure. Selvig said he didn't know he needed Iridium until yesterday, so it seems impossible that S.H.I.E.L.D. could put together an operation before us. Unless…"

"Unless…." Loki trailed off, waiting for answers.

"Unless she's here." Said Clint and he scanned the video again, this time looking for a familiar female face. Loki waited impatiently for Clint to elaborate, and thankfully he didn't take long.

"Yep, it's her. Jane Foster."

"Jane Foster…" He repeated, with ideas forming. When Loki had taken Erik and Clint captive, taking control of their minds with the power of his scepter, it didn't take long for him to learn that his brother's mortal girlfriend was the lead on the project.

"Selvig works alongside her, but she's the one in charge; the expert who's always two steps ahead of everyone else. She left the base the day before you arrived. No doubt she knew she needed Iridium and came to get it before consulting the rest of her team."

"Well then…slight change of plans, Barton." Clint quickly moved into position as Loki began wreaking havoc, and scattering the guests. After he ensured Clint was inside taking the iridium, Loki followed the humans, returning to his normal form.

"Kneel before me!" he said as he used his magic to create copies of himself and surround them. "I said, kneel!" He banged his scepter on the ground, silencing the humans and frightening them into compliance. Loki talked to them about his plans for Midgard for a bit, giving Clint enough time to leave with the iridium, before getting to the point.

"Jane Foster." He said, loud and clear. "Reveal yourself and no one shall be harmed." When no one moved Loki sighed as if resigned to his next move. He pointed his sceptre at the closest person and sent a blast towards him, purposefully not killing the man, but injuring him nonetheless.

"Next time, he dies. Unless Jane gives herself up." In the crowd Clint could see the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents discretely urging the woman in front of them not to give in. However, when Loki once again pointed his weapon at his target Jane stood up. Loki smirked and lowered the sceptre, moving towards Jane.

"Miss Foster, it is an absolute pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. " He took her hand, bowed to her and kissed it, all the while never taking his eyes off her.

"You're Loki, aren't you?" She breathed, her face set in stone, though her eyes betrayed her fear.

"Indeed. My brother spoke very highly of you. I promised him I would pay you a visit should I end up on Midgard, and here I am." Jane stood silently trying to figure a way out of whatever Loki had planned for her. She knew the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents accompanying her would try to protect her, but she had no doubt they would be useless against Loki. She was proven right when she saw an agent leap up in her peripheral vision only to be immediately taken out.

"I wouldn't try anything, unless you want to end up like your friend here." Said Loki, looking far too proud given he'd just killed someone.

"Now, as I am sure you called in to S.H.I.E.L.D. for reinforcements, it is time for us to depart. Miss Foster, if you would." He said, offering her his arm and when she did not take it, he placed her hand in the crook of his elbow and began to lead her away. It was at that moment that a round object came flying at them, missing them by mere inches. Jane let out an involuntary scream and stopped in her tracks. Loki released her and spun around, sceptre at the ready, to face whoever attacked him.

"You know the last time I was in Germany, and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing." Captain America said as he walked forward, shield in hand.

"The soldier. The man out of time."

"I'm not the one who's out of time." That said the Captain launched on the attack forcing Loki back and onto the defense. Jane took Loki's distraction to get away, making a run for the relative safety behind the Quinjet being piloted by Black Widow, but ended up running directly into Clint.

"Clint! Thank God!" she said, thinking she was safe with him.

"This way Miss Foster." He said, leading her away. Jane noticed that instead of leading her towards the Quinjet he was leading her away from it.

"Clint, what's going on?" she asked, stopping in her tracks and turning around. Clint didn't waste time trying to convince her; instead he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, heading directly for his ship.

"Put me down!" she yelled, pounding on Clint's back, however the former assassin wasn't phased by her punches and reached the ship, instructing the others to take off just as Iron Man arrived at the scene.

 **-/-**

Loki was escorted to the holding cell intended for Bruce, should things get out of hand, within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base. Nick Fury explained to him what would happen should he try to escape and Loki took great pleasure in the battle of wits that ensued.

"How desperate are you? You call on such lost creatures to defend you?"

"How desperate am I? You threatened my world with war, you steal a force you can't hope to control, you talk about peace and you kill cause its fun. You have made me very desperate. And you might not be glad that you did." Loki smiled and ended the game, deciding now was the time to put his plan in motion.

"Brother." He called, knowing that Thor could hear him. "I speak now directly to you. You may wish to barter for my freedom, for I have something of yours. And unless you do as I say, she may not live to see you again." On the bridge, Thor listened to his brother and mere moments later, when Loki's words sunk in, he became instantly enraged and ran at full speed towards the holding cell. The look on the thunder god's face was enough to have Captain America, Black Widow, Iron Man and, when they passed his lab, the Hulk chasing after him, knowing he was out for blood. Within moments Thor arrived, to the surprise of Fury, and ran up to the cell, banging his fists against the glass in his anger.

"Where is she?" He roared. Loki smirked and sat on the bench, the one piece of furniture in his prison.

"Where is who?" he asked, enjoying toying with his brother.

"You know exactly of whom I speak!"

"Oh yes, the Lady Sif. I believe she is on Asgard."

"Loki…" Thor growled warningly.

"Not the Lady Sif? Then perhaps you mean our mother. I believe she too, is on Asgard. No doubt tending to the Allfather after he used all his energy to send you here."

"Jane. Where is Jane?" He all but breathed dangerously.

"Ah, you mean your little friend whom you would abandon Asgard for." He said.

"I did not abandon Asgard! I destroyed the Bifrost, the one pathway to Midgard, to stop _you_ from destroying Jotunheim."

"Well you should not have stopped me." Loki said, standing up and walking towards Thor, all signs of play gone from his face. "I was King of Asgard and it was my right to destroy Jotunheim! What have the Frost Giants ever done except cause us pain? I would have been revered, above even the Allfather, for destroying that blithering race." Thor shook his head, a sad expression appearing on his face.

"No Loki. Destroying Jotunheim would do no good-"

"Why? Because in destroying them I would be destroying my own people? Because in stopping Laufey from ever again making war with Asgard I would be killing my own father?"

"No! Loki, whatever your true parentage you are my brother! You are Loki Odinson. Not Loki Laufeyson. Attacking Jotunheim would cause nothing but another war. Death and destruction is not the answer. I thought like you once. Run into battle without thinking. And then father cast me out. I came to Midgard. And I met Jane."

"Yes your precious Jane Foster." Loki snarled turning away from Thor and walking the length of his cell.

"Yes. Jane is precious to me." Thor said, hoping to appeal to Loki's good side. "Where is she Loki?" Loki merely laughed and all thoughts of appealing to him left Thor's mind.

"You will never find her. Just as you failed to locate where we took the Tesseract." He said mockingly. "You know, I don't remember leaving any instructions with Barton regarding Miss Foster." He glanced sideways at Thor. "Who knows what he has done with her." Thor roared in anger and pounded on the glass.

"Loki I swear, in the name of the Allfather, if she is hurt in any way…you will wish father left you to die on Jotunheim all those years ago." Loki didn't so much as flinch at his rage.

"Oh it would not be the first time I wished that. Though I do hope Barton doesn't harm her. It will be all the more fun to play with her myself." Loki smirked as Thor became more and more enraged. Outside a storm began to form, thunder and lightning crackling loudly. Thor snarled and walked around the cell to where Fury stood by the control panel.

"Open this door immediately." Thor commanded.

"I can't do that. We risk losing our only link to the Tesseract." Fury replied calmly. Thor growled and grabbed Fury by the scruff of his coat. Natasha pulled her gun out, pointing it at Thor in case things got even more out of hand.

"You will open the door. I promise you, Loki is going nowhere."

"I can't let you kill him either."

"I have no intention of killing him. He is my only hope of finding Jane. Now open the door!" Fury was silent for a few moments as if weighing his options.

"No." he said finally. Thor pushed him a way with an enraged roar. He turned to Loki and held out his hand, calling for Mjölnir. Outside, the storm worsened.

"Sir!" called Agent Hill on the comm. "We've entered a severe electrical storm. It came out of nowhere. Too much more electrical activity is going to fry us!" Loki laughed hearing the transmission.

"You might want to control your temper, brother. You wouldn't want to cause a storm so bad it destroys Midgard."

"He's doing this?" asked Steve. At that moment Mjölnir came crashing through the side of the ship, having blasted through any obstacles in its path. Thor gripped his weapon and brought it down on the cell with all his strength. The glass cracked but only barely and Tony took that as his cue to retrieve his suit.

"Even you will have a hard time breaking through. This cell was not meant to hold me, but something much stronger." Loki said, looking to Bruce. To his credit Bruce didn't react, though those nearest him could see him tense a bit. Thor raised Mjölnir for another hit when Steve rushed forward and stopped him.

"Thor this isn't the way. Destroying the cell will only set him free. And if you don't control your temper you could end up destroying Earth. With Jane on it!"

"Stay out of this." Thor growled, though he made no move to throw Steve off.

"No we wouldn't want that, would we?" said Loki, his smirk still in place. "Destroying, as you have so rightly said, only leads to pain. Imagine my pain when I don't get to play with our little Jane. And oh the plans I had for her. We were going to have so much fun, her and I." Thor tensed, for a moment frozen in place, but Loki knew his words were enough. Thor leapt into action, pushing Steve away from him, and raising Mjölnir to the sky, gathering his lightning for a powerful attack.

"Sir, the storm has peaked!" Cried Hill. "We're being hit on all sides. Another few minutes and our power levels will spike causing everything to overload and combust!" Hearing that the remaining Avengers swarmed Thor, attempting to get to him and get the hammer out of his reach.

"Thor stop! If this place explodes, it explodes with you in it!" Yelled Steve.

"You humans believe us to be immortal." Said Loki. "Now is the perfect time to test that theory, don't you think?"

"Like hell." Muttered Steve. Using all the strength his genetic enhancements gave him, he pulled at Thor's arm and managed to lower both arm and hammer, breaking off the gathering electricity. However, seconds later he was pushed away by one wide swing of Thor's mighty arm.

"Thor, that's enough!" Said Natasha, pulling out her second gun as Thor raised Mjölnir again.

"Guns." Scoffed Loki. "Human inventions that will have no effect on a god." Natasha glanced at Loki, debating whether to believe him or not.

"Well now that's not fair." Tony said, flying into the room in the Iron Man suit and sending an energy blast at Thor, knocking him over and sending Mjölnir skidding across the room. The lightning disappeared, along with the immediate threat, however the storm stayed. "That worked and this suit is human invented. Of course it was invented by me, so that could be it." Thor got off his feet and raised his arm to summon Mjölnir, however Iron Man sent another blast at him, knocking him down again.

"I'd stay down, if I was you." Tony said. "And for once just listen. This is what he wants. He wants you to lose control and destroy the ship. He also wants you to destroy Earth, or Midgard, or whatever you gods call it, he wants you to destroy it. _With Jane on it!_ " Thor looked at him, the words finally sinking in. After a few moments he sighed and slumped down against the wall, his anger leaving him, along with the storm.

"Hill, status report." Said Fury into his comm.

"Everything's charged to full capacity, and there's some minor damage but it looks like we came out relatively unharmed, sir." Fury nodded and ended the communication.

"And I thought Banner had breathtaking anger management issues." Said Tony, taking the helmet off.

"You'll never find her now." Snarled Loki. Thor looked up at his brother. Anger once again present on his face, he stood up and approached the cell; the Avengers remained on guard.

"I will find her." He said with absolute certainty. "And when I do, you'd best hope she is unharmed, or the Allfather himself will not be able to save you." With that Thor walked out of the room, calling for Mjölnir as he went.

 **-/-**

After escaping when Clint and some of the others he'd brainwashed attacked the ship, Loki finally had the chance to properly meet Jane and knew he would take just as much pleasure in playing with her as he had his brother. He'd not wanted Jane to be a mindless follower as Erik was, knowing it would cause more damage to have her work for him without being controlled. However, he had not anticipated just how strong of a mind she possessed and was subsequently disappointed when none of his mind-games had worked on her. With Erik struggling to figure out the final component to open the door for the Chitauri, and with Thor and the others closing in, he'd finally resorted to threatening Erik's life to gain her cooperation. Still it had not been easy and he'd only gained her help after she'd tried to call his bluff and he'd followed through, torturing Erik before her and promising a prolonged and painful death for him if she didn't do as asked. Although Jane logically knew that whatever army he brought through the door would cause more deaths than just Erik's, she had still not been able to let him die. He'd been hurt badly, though still served a purpose to Loki and so he was not left incapacitated. Loki had brought them both, along with the Tesseract, to the top of Stark Tower where Erik was setting up the device. Jane had served her use for now, though Loki was certain she'd prove useful to use against his brother later, and so found herself gagged and bound to stop her from escaping. Iron Man arrived, attempted to stop the Tesseract, shortly after the door was first opened. He knocked Erik out and when he was unable to stop the device left without ever seeing Jane. As time passed, Jane watched the door the Tesseract created get bigger as well as the monsters coming through it. She was filled with dread and remorse, but still could not regret saving Erik's life. Suddenly, Captain America arrived and attempted to use his indestructible shield to breach the energy barrier, though he fared no better than Iron Man had. Jane began frantically moving and making as much noise as she could, hoping this Avenger would find her. Luck was on her side and when the energy barrier threw the Captain's shield away it landed right at her feet. Upon seeing her, Steve immediately began to untie her.

"Dr. Foster." He said, helping her out of her bonds.

"Yeah, hi." She said impatiently. The moment she was free she ran towards the device that had started up the Tesseract.

"Can you stop it?" Steve asked, coming up behind her.

"The Tesseract is self-sustaining. It can't be stopped." She said, continuing to frantically type on the console, her eyes searching the screen.

"Then what are you doing?"

"I built in a safety feature. When I discovered the Tesseract's power far exceeded anything we have on Earth, I knew things could get out of hand quickly. The energy shield is the Tesseract protecting itself; stopping anyone from interfering with its primary purpose."

"Opening the door."

"Exactly."

"But if nothing on Earth can match its power, how do we stop it?"

"The Tesseract protects itself from external factors. It can't protect itself from _itself_. The safety feature channels some of the Tesseract's energy into a weapon. With it I can penetrate the shield and pierce the Tesseract, stopping the flow of energy creating the door."

"Because it can't fight against itself." Steve said, grasping onto the concept, if only barely.

"But it's not here!" Jane shouted in frustration. "Erik must have found the safety feature and deleted it."

"So what does that mean exactly?"

"I could re-create it…if I had several hours." She grumbled. "However, with the time we don't have, I'll only be able to partially channel the energy." She stopped typing and turned to Steve. "We have to hope it's strong to break through the shield." Neither of them missed the unsaid implication: if this failed, they lose.

"What do you need to make this happen?" He asked.

"Nothing I have on hand." She replied.

"Well, we're on top of Stark's building. Think he'll have what you need?" Jane nodded and stood up going to the edge and looking down to the level below where the balcony was.

"He'll be pissed I touched his toys."

"I think he'll get over it if it means he actually lives through this." Steve said. Jane laughed a little but it died on her lips when Steve swept her into his arms and jumped down to the balcony. Jane let out a scream as the feeling of free-fall took over; however, it stopped almost as soon as it started. Steve looked down at her in amusement.

"Oh, shut up." She said and began walking into the building. "And _never_ do that again." Steve followed her, knowing she might need help. Loki wouldn't let her destroy his door if he could help it and this was their only chance of stopping those creatures. Minutes later, Jane had located what she needed and she and Steve were on their way back to the balcony and the roof when Loki appeared.

"Well isn't this nice? I'll be sure to tell my brother you're with his woman. Maybe he'll destroy you for me." Steve tensed and held his shield up, ready for battle.

"Take the stairs." He muttered. Jane nodded and took off further into the building looking for the stairs. It wasn't long before she located them and shortly after she arrived on the roof, only to find Loki already there.

"Where's Steve?" she asked, hoping he merely got knocked down and would be running to her rescue any second.

"He won't be a problem anymore." Said Loki, stalking towards Jane. "Now, be a good girl. Drop the machines and come with me. And maybe I'll let you live." He said, raising his sceptre. "You do still have a use, after all." Just before he could strike her, a body came flying at him, knocking him to the ground. Jane watched the two bodies roll around a bit before going over the edge.

"No, Erik!" Jane yelled. She ran to the edge and breathed a little easier seeing they had landed on the balcony instead of falling all the way to the ground. She just hoped Erik was only knocked out, though Loki could be dead for all she cared. Jane then ran to the Tesseract and began setting up some of Tony's toys. Once everything was ready she looked for a weapon. Her eyes landed on Loki's sceptre, which lay mere feet away. She ran to it, picked it up and nearly had a heart attack when she turned around, seeing a woman with red hair standing in front of the Tesseract.

"You all really need to stop sneaking up on people." She muttered to Natasha. "Here, hold this." She shoved the sceptre into her hands and directed her to allow the beam of energy she sent from her impromptu invention to hit the weapon.

"Done!" Jane cried a few second's later. "Shove it into the Tesseract!" Just as Natasha was about to do as she was told, Tony came over the comm telling them to hold on. They understood why when they saw Iron Man fly by with a nuclear missile, heading straight for the door. After going through, Natasha waited for a bit before following Steve's order to close the door. At the last minute Iron Man fell through and the creatures dropped dead as the bomb exploded at the other end of space. The two women breathed a sigh of relief until they saw that Tony wasn't slowing down. Thankfully the Hulk saw the same thing and saved him at the last minute. Finally the battle was over.

"We did it." Breathed Jane.

"You figured out how to stop it, Dr. Foster." Said Natasha. "Your girlfriend's really something Thor." Both Thor and Jane perked up hearing the other's name and it wasn't long before Thor came flying to the top of Stark Tower.

"Jane!" He cried, pulling to him, her small frame fitting perfectly into his large one.

"Thor." She sighed, basking in the feeling of once again being in his arms. Both had tears in their eyes, though the thunder god tried to hide his, as they pulled apart enough to look at each other.

"Your hair's gotten longer." Jane muttered a smile plastered on her face.

"And you're shorter than I remember." Jane swatted his arm playfully before pulling him down for a kiss. Thor did not complain one bit, and a slightly sickened Natasha left the two alone and joined the others inside the building to confront Loki. He was still passed out from his beating from the Hulk and came around just in time to see Thor arrive, with Jane tucked protectively into his side.

 **-/-**

After securing Loki and the Tesseract, everyone gathered to say goodbye to the two Asgardians, one of whom they could not wait to see the back of. The Avengers all had their eyes on Loki as they allowed Thor to say goodbye to Jane.

"You really have to go don't you?" she asked sadly.

"Indeed I must. But fear not for we will be reunited again soon."

"But with the Bifrost gone, and now the Tesseract-"

"There are other ways. The Allfather made it possible for me to come when I was needed, and he will do so again should I be needed once more." Jane nodded, though didn't like the sound of them only seeing each other when Earth was in peril. "Besides, the Bifrost is being rebuilt."

"What…?"

"The Bifrost was created many thousands of years ago by my ancestor, the Allfather at the time. As such it can be rebuild. I will not lie, it will take time as the current Allfather is no longer the young man he was."

"I don't think anyone who's centuries years old could be considered young." Thor laughed and brought his hand to cup her face.

"Heimdall and I are helping him. Between the three of us, it should not be too much longer." Jane brought her hand up on top of his, holding his hand to her cheek.

"I'll keep looking for another way from this end."

"I know you will." Said Thor. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips in farewell. Jane sighed.

"You think you'd learn." She breathed and wrapped her arms around his neck, his arms going around her waist automatically. They kissed right there in front of everyone and only broke apart when it became hard to breathe.

"I will return for you. Wait for me?" He asked, a hint of vulnerability in his voice.

"Always." She replied. With one last look they broke apart and Thor joined Loki, taking the Tesseract from Fury, and together they departed for Asgard. She'd only had mere minutes with Thor before they'd said goodbye once more, but it had been enough to know her feelings for him were still strong, as were his for her, thankfully. Her logical mind still couldn't grasp how she could feel so strongly for him after only knowing him for a couple of days, but she had simply come to accept it as something in the human psyche that couldn't be explained. It helped, of course, that her father had told her many times he'd felt the same for her mother after just their first meeting. Dr. Richard Foster had been the reason she had become an astrophysicist and was one of the most intelligent and highly respected scientists in the world, holding more than one doctorate in more than one discipline, and yet even he could not explain love better than that it simply was. In the months to follow, that feeling for Thor combined with her own love of science and the desire to actually create an Einstein-Rosen Bridge saw her continue to work on the project even though the Tesseract had been taken back to Asgard. She was determined to see him again.

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 **A/N - A short under 10 chapter fic of _Thor/Avengers_ with Jane included. I love Natalie Portman and thought she was great as Jane in _Thor,_ but when _The Dark World_ came they kind of just screwed her character, not really doing much with her, and now she's not even going to be in _Ragnarok._ Jane is basically the most underdeveloped, underrated and forgotten recurring character in the MCU until they finally just gave up on her and I didn't like that, so this is what my brain came up with to fix it. **

**This fic starts with Jane being included in _The Avengers_ (obviously) and will continue until after _Ragnarok,_ though not into _Infinity_ _War._ Most of the fic takes place during _Ragnarok_ and is partially based on the trailer and what little we know about the movie, though there's obviously big differences. It's also mainly based on the MCU, though with elements from the comics as well as Norse mythology ******(please note though that I haven't actually read the comics, nor much into Norse mythology, so that's all basically from Google/Wikipedia)** , and of course my own imagination. As such there may be times something not in the MCU pops up, or is greatly changed, and has you saying "what the hell?" At those times do kindly remember that this is a fanfic. **

**Timeline:  
 _Thor_ to _The A_ _vengers_ : 1 year  
 _The Avengers_ to _The Dark World_ : 1 year  
 _The Dark World_ to _Age of Ultron_ : 6 months  
 _Age of Ultron_ to _Civil War_ : 1 year & 4 months  
 _Civil War_ to _Ragnarok_ (this fic): 3 months**

 **Those are the movies that really affect this fic, but do assume that the others ones like _Iron Man 3_ and _Winter Soldier_ still did take place. Also _Doctor Strange_ took place sometime between ****_Age of Ultron_ and _Civil War,_ though closer to _Civil War_.  
**

 **Review please!**


	2. To Fight Ragnarok

_Disclaimer: I do not own Thor, nor The Avengers._

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 **Chapter 2 – To Fight Ragnarok  
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Yet another year passed and Jane was no longer working with S.H.I.E.L.D. but independently with Erik, as well as her half-competent assistant Darcy, in London when Thor returned once again. He'd taken her with him to Asgard this time as an unknown force had taken up residence inside her when she'd inadvertently discovered it. King Odin had not been happy with her presence there but could not deny she needed help beyond what Earth could provide when they learned it was the Aether, one of the Infinity Stones, that was inside her. The resulting battle with the Dark Elves, who sought the Aether to bring darkness to the entire universe, had not gone well. Thor's mother Frigga lost her life protecting both the Aether and Jane and so too did Loki, who they'd broken out of prison to help them. Thor had eventually defeated the leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith and the Aether was sent away for safekeeping. For the third time Thor left her on Earth, though promised to return shortly. He'd kept his promise and told Jane that he'd left Asgard behind and given up his claim to the throne in favour of staying on Earth. He told her that he'd finally seen the decisions his father had to make and the cost of being the Allfather and he did not think he would be a good king. While she believed him, Jane also suspected that a part of him stayed on Earth for her, a claim he did not deny when asked, and she'd been wracked with guilt that he gave up his father, his friends and his throne for her. It had taken much convincing that she was not to blame, but eventually he succeeded and the two settled into an actual relationship for the first time.

While Jane continued her work as an astrophysicist, and now as the leading, and only, expert on the convergence, Thor joined with The Avengers and worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. on a permanent basis. The two quickly left London for New York and spent a fair bit of time socializing with the other Avengers and their significant others – or rather just Pepper – finding that normal people couldn't understand all they'd been through and so it was hard to build relationships with those outside their supernatural universe. As the only two with girlfriends, both who were brilliant in their own right, Thor and Tony had developed somewhat of a rivalry, always comparing the two women and trying to one-up the other on what impressive thing their girlfriend was working on now. At first neither Jane nor Pepper had liked the rivalry, but the two had bonded over the idiocies of their boyfriends and, as it was a good-natured rivalry, had come to simply accept it.

After S.H.I.E.L.D. was revealed to actually be a front for Hydra the real work began, as they weren't sure exactly who they could trust outside their group. They quickly learned though that while S.H.I.E.L.D. had arguably never really existed, what S.H.I.E.L.D. had stood for did exist, and the Avengers rebuild from there. As Jane travelled a lot she had not been there when Tony's Ultron project had gotten a mind of its own, though she had returned as quickly as possible once word reached her. She'd once again had to say goodbye to Thor as he'd needed his father's help when yet another Infinity Stone had turned up, though this time being kept with them on Earth as a part of their new ally, Vision. Given her public association with him, Thor asked Jane to remain at the new Avengers Facility for her protection and even asked Steve and Tony both to look out for her. That had been over a year ago and she'd not seen or heard from him since. Although she missed him terribly, she could not blame him for his disappearances, for it was always because wars had broken out, the fate of the entire universe was at stake, or in the case of his first disappearance he'd physically not been able to return. Now, one year, seven months, one week and six days after she'd last seen Thor – though who was counting? – Jane was once again living in their apartment in New York rather than the rooms they had at the Avengers facility. When the Sokovia Accords and the civil war among the Avengers had happened a few weeks ago she'd simply not returned there after her latest overseas trip, even knowing as she did that Thor would not be happy with her, having asked her to stay there while he was gone for her safety.

Thankfully nothing else had happened in the few weeks she'd been back in New York, though it was about time something did. As such she was not too surprised when the Bifrost opened onto the balcony of their apartment. She was quite happy in fact, even moving to throw herself into Thor's arms, before she saw the state he was in and who accompanied him. Her worry for her boyfriend overrode her anger at seeing Loki once more and so given he and Thor were supporting each other instead of fighting she quickly ushered them inside and got the first aid kit. Only when their injuries were taken care of – thankfully none needing an emergency room – did she finally speak.

"What happened? I'm also sure you have a really good explanation for why _he's_ here. Not to mention still alive." Her cold tone of voice would normally have sent warning bells off in Thor's head, but given recent events it was understandable that it did not.

"Hela has been released from her confinement. Ragnarok is upon us." He said and Jane quickly ran through her Norse mythology, which she'd researched extensively after first meeting Thor, for just who, and what, that was.

"Hela the goddess of death? And isn't Ragnarok supposed to be the end of…well of _everything?_ We're still here though, so you must be wrong about that right?"

"Remember, Jane, that human myths are just myths. They hold truth in them but they themselves are not truth."

"Ok…so start from the beginning."

"We are not gods, though ancient Midgardians worshiped us as such. However, while Hela may not be the goddess of death, she indeed possesses great power, including the power of death itself. Hela is the former Queen of Nilflheim. Much like Malekith, she sought to bring darkness to all of Yggdrasil, but instead of returning Yggdrasil to the darkness that reigned before its creation, Hela seeks merely to kill and destroy all life that opposes her. She was imprisoned by my father many years ago for trying to do just that. Then this idiot had to go and release her." He growled in Loki's direction, and though he gave his usual smirk, regret could be seen in his eyes. "He thought Hela would be an ally in his quest to conquer all and leave the way clear for Thanos, but she turned on him and-"

"Actually I had no intention of allowing Thanos to rule over us all, let alone myself." Loki spoke up.

"You would see the nine realms under your rule and would destroy and kill what you must to achieve that end, but in so doing would make yourself the only opposition to Thanos. Your vanity is far bigger than I thought if you think that you alone would be able to stop him." Jane had a vague idea who Thanos was and that was all the idea she wanted given what Thor had told her of him.

"You really are an idiot." She muttered to Loki before telling Thor to continue.

"Regardless of Thanos' continued threat, Hela is the bigger threat currently. She has destroyed Asgard." His words were pained at the mere thought it. "Asgard is gone and Hela is moving on to other worlds. Ragnarok was mere legend even to us, but our legends are not the same as yours, they are based far more in fact, and only Ragnarok is said to be able to be Asgard's downfall."

"Gone as in really and truly gone, nothing is left standing, no one is alive and Asgard no longer exists? Or gone as in there's a lot of death and destruction, but Asgard does still exist?"

"I suppose the second one for Asgard does still exist. But it is like Svartalfheim…a world of nothing and only those few who were able to escape survived. When her attack started I ordered Heimdall to send as many as he could out of Asgard, though many would not leave and stayed to fight. When Mjölnir was destroyed-"

" _What?!_ " Jane cried.

"As I said Hela's power is great. She destroyed Mjölnir. After that much of the fighting was over and she called on her power to destroy Asgard all at once. We were the last Heimdall sent through before her power was released."

"So you don't actually know what happened to Asgard then."

"She would not see Asgard stand." He snapped. "She would wipe us all from existence and once she has control of the nine realms she will no doubt search out all those who escaped."

"Or she could just as easily want to rule Asgard, meaning she'd need people to rule over." Jane argued.

"No. She wants us destroyed."

"But you don't know that for certain!"

"Of course I do! I-"

"If you two are going to have a lover's quarrel I'll just make myself scarce, shall I?" Loki interrupted and the two stopped arguing.

"Look, all I'm trying to say is that you don't have all the facts. You know the volcano erupted but you don't know in which direction the lava flowed." She tried to use an example, that being the best she could come up with on the spot. Although he still didn't think she was right, Thor did not verbally disagree with her. "We'll think on how to fight her. There has to be a way. But first… _how the hell is he alive?_ " Thor looked to Loki, sending him a fierce glare. Loki merely stared back in response, both seeming to dare the other to tell the tale.

"I would have thought you would want to brag, brother." Thor growled out. "You did usurp our father's throne after all."

" _Your_ father. Not mine." They had had this fight many times before and Thor was not willing to rehash it, which was good for Jane's patience which was starting to run out.

"Loki's injuries were not what we thought they were, though he let us think so. While we were on Earth fighting Malekith, he returned to Asgard and overpowered _our_ father, who was still weak from the attack. The Odin I said goodbye to was not my father, but Loki having taken his form."

"And he's been ruling Asgard as Odin ever since." Jane summed up, scowling at the black haired man. "But what happened to the real Odin?" Thor looked to Loki again, also wanting the answer to that question, having only gotten so much out of him previously to know that Odin was still alive.

"I banished him here, to Midgard." He said with clear disdain.

"Small mercies." Thor muttered, glad at least that they didn't have to find a way to a different realm. "You will help me find him!"

"Of course I'll help you find him." The vehemence with which Loki replied surprised the other two, given what he had gone through to get rid of Odin. Loki rolled his eyes. "Aside from Thanos himself, whom I do not trust-"

"The first wise move you've ever made." Loki sent a glare at his brother.

"Odin is probably the only one who stands a chance of defeating Hela."

"You're really going to trust him again?" Jane asked.

"We do not have much of a choice. Besides, we share a common goal in defeating Hela. After she turned on him, Loki knows that his best bet of attempting to regain his power – though that will never happen – is to help us defeat her and make his move when she is gone."

"So have the Hulk standing by for when Hela's gone to stop him and beat him senseless. Got it." She interjected with her own smart remark.

"Banner has been found?" Thor asked, remembering his disappearance after the battle of Sokovia. However, Jane shook her head.

"No. We have no idea where he is." Silence reigned as Jane finally finished patching them both up. Most of it was superficial cuts and bruises, but many still required bandaging. They all thought on their next move, how best to find Odin and defeat Hela, though none truly had any idea. They took a break from the silence after awhile to allow both men to get cleaned up and change out of their torn clothes; the mortal clothing Thor had in the apartment nearly swimming on the smaller man. As they changed Jane made some food for them and they returned to sitting in silence and trying to come up with a game plan. However, their silence was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. Jane moved to get it but Thor beat her to it. With the kind of beings after them he did not want her in unnecessary danger. Even without Mjölnir he was still more equipped to deal with danger, though granted these enemies were unlikely to knock on the door and politely wait for entry. When he opened the door it was to reveal a middle-aged man in strange crimson robe like clothing, not unlike some of the more casual Asgardian clothes Jane had seen during her short time on Asgard.

"Can I help you?" Thor asked inquisitively, neither he nor Jane knowing the man. For his part the man's stance, which had previously been cautious, relaxed somewhat when he laid eyes on Thor.

"You are the one who caused the magical disturbance a few hours ago." He said after a moment. "The Sorcerer Supreme would have a word with you, please."

"The _what?_ " Jane asked, looking to both Thor and Loki, wondering if either of them had heard of this person, though apparently they hadn't. Jane's look to Loki brought the man's attention to him and he his eyes widened, recognizing him from the attack on New York not all that long ago.

"Now I am afraid your cooperation is mandatory. The Sorcerer Supreme _will_ speak with you. Come."

"It would not be wise to try and force me, mortal. You will find yourself ill-equipped at best." Thor said, readying for a fight.

"I am afraid you are mistaken, Thor." The man replied, telling them that he indeed knew of this Avenger, though that in itself was unsurprising. "You will find me a worthy opponent."

"Who are you?" Jane demanded.

"I am Wong, the Keeper of the Books at Kamar-Taj. Do not mistake my title for lack of ability. The Sorcerer Supreme sent me as he knows I am more than capable of dealing with what we thought may be an unknown threat."

"If it is a fight you want, then a fight you will get."

"I do not wish to fight, though will certainly do so if needed."

"Why should I come with you?"

"You have brought that man back to this world after he nearly destroyed it once. Do you not think that deserves an explanation?"

"And why should that explanation be given to this Sorcerer Supreme?" Jane was quick to ask.

"The Sorcerer Supreme guards Earth against attack, both physical and mystical. He takes a keen interest when something could possibly harm this world, as Loki once did." Said Wong. "However, he merely wishes to speak with you. He will not be a danger to you unless you pose an imminent threat." Hearing that his person was the guardian of Earth, albeit one he'd never heard of, had Thor agreeing to go; perhaps this man could help them.

"You're just going to leave me here with him while you go off to god knows where?" Jane was not happy when Thor agreed to meet with this sorcerer, especially not when he asked her to stay behind and clearly had no intention of taking Loki with him, and she didn't try to hide it.

"We will not be going far. Only to 177A Bleecker St." Wong did not hesitate to give the exact address, knowing the Sanctum was protected. He also didn't doubt that Loki could find them there if he wanted so there was little point in hiding their location.

"And you will not be alone with him." Thor promised, raising Jane's suspicion. "I have called Stark. He and Black Widow will be here shortly." Once again Jane was not happy. For all his brilliance Tony Stark was a pain in her ass, especially since he'd 'taken her under his wing' in the year since Thor last left. This was even more true after the events of the Sokovia Accords and the arrest and disappearance of Steve Rogers and half of the Avengers; she had not been happy with Tony over that, believing wholeheartedly that he should have sided with Steve. "They have a right to know what is coming." Granted, she couldn't deny this logic for no doubt the Avengers, both those in hiding and not, would be needed in the fight to come. With little other choice Jane nodded her head and watched unhappily as Thor and Wong left. The next fifteen minutes were spent in awkward silence, Jane staring daggers at Loki who chuckled to himself every time he looked at her, but otherwise said and did nothing else. When Tony arrived he did not bother to knock but simply barged in. Natasha, who was following close behind, bumped into him when he stopped suddenly, having laid eyes on Loki; clearly Thor had not told them why they were coming over.

"Explain." He directed to Jane, never taking his eyes off of Loki and going so far as to tell F.R.I.D.A.Y. to have his suit ready. Jane launched into the tale, glad for something to do, and though neither Avenger relaxed, they calmed enough to sit down; it helped that Loki chose to remain silent instead of being his usual antagonistic self. By the end of it they were still glaring at Loki, bust also strategizing on how best to help Thor find Odin and stop Hela. They called in Vision, knowing that with this fight not on Earth the knowledge he had as the bearer of the Mind Stone would be invaluable. Loki had showed great interest upon seeing the Infinity Stone, becoming animated for the first time since Thor had left. Vision was ready for him though, and plainly told him that if he tried anything, anything at all, to get his hands on the stone he would not like the consequences. With Loki returned to being all but a statue the four continued strategizing, lamenting the fact that Vision could not offer much insight into the workings of the multiverse, and grudgingly accepting Loki's input when he deemed it necessary to speak up. This was how Thor found them a few hours later. He greeted his friends warmly, thanking them for their help and not once trying to convince them that this wasn't their fight as he knew his father would have. Odin would no doubt claim that the mortals would be of little help, that they had no place in Asgard – as he had claimed with Jane – and that it was Asgard's responsibility to deal with Hela. While he didn't disagree with the latter, he also knew that Hela would eventually come to Earth and it was in all their interests to stop her as soon as possible. He also knew that mortals, particularly these mortals, were not helpless and would be an asset in the fight to come.

"I'll call Cap. We'll need all hands on deck for this one." While still arrogant and sarcastic, Tony had become much more serious since Sokovia, as evidenced by his tone and lack of snarky comment.

"I thought he, Clint and the red witch were in exile?" Thor was confused. He'd heard from Heimdall what had happened not long ago, before he'd found out Loki was impersonating their father and Hela was released.

"Yep. Doesn't mean I can't call them in. They'll just have to stay under the radar until we get to Asgard."

"Which is the key question here." Said Jane. "With Asgard all but destroyed there's no Bifrost to get us there."

" _Us_?" Thor whipped around to face his girlfriend. "You mean _we._ " He motioned to himself, the Avengers and Loki. " _You_ are not going anywhere near the battlefield." Jane opened her mouth to argue but quickly closed it. She knew he didn't say that because he thought her helpless, though in essence that is what she was. Her first instinct was to fight alongside them and go where Thor went, but she quickly remembered that unlike the others, she had no special powers, equipment, or skills that would be useful in battle. Her brain was her main asset and she could put it to good use strategizing, and continuing to figure things out from Earth, but in a physical battle she'd only be a liability.

"Yes. How you guys will get to Asgard." She agreed and Thor was happy to see that she had worked out his meaning on her own; not that he had doubted she would. Tony had F.R.I.D.A.Y. send over the burner phone Steve had sent him with one of his suits and quickly made the call.

"How did your meeting go?" Jane then asked. She had filled the others in on Thor's whereabouts.

"Quite well. This Sorcerer Supreme was not happy with Loki having returned to Earth but is only too happy to help us find father once he heard Loki would be returning to Asgard once that was accomplished." Thor explained. "We are to meet him tomorrow to begin the search. He believes his form of magic will be useful in this endeavour." Saying that the search would begin tomorrow reminded them all that the hour was indeed growing late. Tony, Natasha and Vision said goodbye – after Tony relayed the message that Steve and the others would arrive no later than end of the day tomorrow – and Jane and Thor set to work making dinner, both falling easily back into the routine they had developed during the months they'd lived here as a couple. They worked well together, their actions seamless and they both set about their own tasks, Thor cutting up some vegetables while Jane made some kind of sauce.

"You have become quite domesticated, brother." Loki commented with a look of disdain.

"This is not the royal palace where we have staff to cook for us, Loki." Thor replied, his own look amused. "Jane and I fend for ourselves. Unless we eat at the tavern, of course." Jane chuckled and shook her head as he winked at her. When Thor had first come to live on Earth after defeating Malekith there were some concepts he had trouble grasping and restaurants was one of them. They didn't have them in Asgard, the only eating establishments being taverns, and so it was what he had called all restaurants at the beginning. Jane had tried hard to break him of that habit when he called the nice Italian restaurant they'd gone to one time a tavern, earning the ire of the staff there, and though he had eventually learned he still teased her about it sometimes.

"The softness this woman had wrought in you sickens me." The knife Thor held made a loud thud as he dropped in onto the cutting board, looking menacingly at his brother.

"Be careful how you speak of Jane in my presence. I will not hear any insult towards her, am I clear?" He warned. Loki hummed noncommittally but otherwise said nothing. Dinner was quiet as both Thor and Loki shovelled food into their mouths, while Jane was trying to figure out exactly how she was actually sharing a meal with the man who had tried to conquer her world. When they were finished Loki showed a rare bit of kindness and used his magic to clean up before demanding to know where he would be sleeping. Thor showed him to the spare room that was often used by Darcy, who tended to show up unannounced, before leading Jane to their own room. Jane began to protest that they couldn't trust him not to try and kill them in their sleep but Thor gently explained that Loki needed them to defeat Hela and wouldn't try anything until she was gone. Besides, after the battle they'd been in they were both exhausted and likely to pass out quickly.

"It seems like every time we get a minute to ourselves something comes along to tear us apart." Jane murmured as they got ready for bed, even though it was still early.

"I fear until Thanos is gone we will not have peace." Thor agreed with her.

"But its not just Thanos. Hela isn't his disciple and yet here she is. There's always something else."

"Do not think that Thanos is not manipulating things from afar. His power is great and though Hela may not directly work for him they both draw power from the darkness and he is far more powerful than she; I would not be surprised if he influences her in some way."

"He's really that strong?" She shuddered when Thor nodded. "Then what chance do we have? If Hela is strong enough to bring about Ragnarok for Christ's sake, then what chance do we have of beating someone more powerful than her?" She was getting upset and Thor chose this moment to do what he had wanted to do all day: he pulled her onto his lap and held her close.

"There is always hope, Jane. Do not forget that."

"But-"

"The Infinity Stones pre-date the universe itself, their power has no equal, it is why Thanos seeks them so ardently, and we have more than one Infinity Stone in our possession."

"Not even Vision can truly control the Mind Stone and it's a part of him. How can we hope to unlock their power?"

"I don't know." Thor was sorrowful in his honesty, but at least he was being honest. "We will find a way though, because we have to." That she didn't doubt. Thor thought that the Infinity Stones were the only thing powerful enough to defeat Thanos and if they didn't then all was lost; there was no better incentive than the annihilation of everything to find a way to beat their enemy. "Enough of that for tonight." Thor drew her attention away from the thoughts and fears floating around in her head. "We have not been together in months, and I for one intend to use what little time we have together wisely." His heated look told her exactly how he planned to use that time.

"Oh really? Maybe I'm not in the mood." Thor scoffed and began leaving a trail of kisses from her ear across her collarbone causing her to moan. "Besides you said you were exhausted. You sure you up for the-" She gasped as he quickly changed their position so he had her trapped underneath him.

"Are you doubting my prowess, wench?" She smiled softly up at him, her reply more serious than the teasing they'd begun.

"Never."

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 **A/N - Review please!**


	3. The Sorcerer Supreme

_Disclaimer: I do not own Thor, nor The Avengers or any other Marvel movie._

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 **Chapter 3 – The Sorcerer Supreme**

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The following morning saw the return of Tony who came to take Jane back to his lab in Stark Tower so they could work on a way to get them all to Asgard. This suited Thor just fine as it meant Jane would be safe while he and Loki went to search for their father, though they were far from alone. Aside from the Sorcerer Supreme who they'd be meeting up with, Natasha would be joining them and Vision was on standby in case he was needed, though they all agreed he was very conspicuous and for now they'd rather draw as little attention to themselves as possible. Jane and Tony spent the majority of the day in his lab and came up with several ideas based on her research, though all of them were missing one key thing: a power source. Jane's research on the Tesseract, and the research she'd done since, gave them what they needed to create a device that would channel power into creating a door in space, much like the device Thor had used to return him and Loki to Asgard after the battle of New York. However, that device had used the Tesseract to power it and without the Space Stone or something similar they were at a loss. The use of the Mind Stone was discussed several times, its power equalling the other Infinity Stone, but they could not find a way to alter the Mind Stone's power into creating a door in space, not even with Vision's help.

This was the problem they were still working on when F.R.I.D.A.Y. informed them that they had visitors. Leaving the lab they went upstairs to the living room/bar and came faced to face with some of the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre's most wanted.

"Steve!" Jane greeted warmly, happily giving the man a hug. Thor had asked both Tony and Steve to look after her while he was gone after the Ultron incident and while Tony had declared himself her babysitter and annoyed her quite often, Steve had spent time with her as a friend, further developing the friendship they had started after the battle of New York, and she had quite enjoyed his company.

"Hello Jane." He replied with a smile before releasing her to say hello to Clint, Sam and Wanda, before turning to the two others who were with them, one she didn't know at all, and one she recognized but had yet to meet.

"I'm Scott Lang." The one she didn't know introduced himself. "Also known as Ant Man."

" _Ant_ Man?" That was one she hadn't heard of.

"Why had no one heard of me?" He muttered, feeling somewhat insulted. "I did kick butt at the airport." That made only a little more sense. Tony had told her only very briefly of the events leading up to some of the Avengers' exile, talking about his clash with the Captain and Rhodey's injuries instead of going into details about the battle.

"Jane. Nice to meet you." She replied and left it at that, turning to the other man. "Your Highness." She greeted the Wakandan King.

"Jane Foster." T'Challa seemed happy to see her, much to her surprise. "Steve has spoken highly of you and has told me much about your research."

"What I understand of it at any rate." Steve butt in, though T'Challa ignored him beyond a fond smile.

"I am quite interested in speaking to you about it, if you will grant me the time."

"Of course. I'd be happy to."

"Uh, what about my research?" Tony then spoke up. "If he mentioned the midget's surely he told you of my brilliance." That seemed to be the opening Steve had been waiting for.

"Tony." Cap held out his hand and Tony hesitated for barely a second before shaking it, the two sharing a meaningful nod that said everything they needed it to. Clint and Wanda were more grudging in their hellos to the man who they had initially seen as responsible for their incarceration and exile, but they'd mostly gotten over it.

"I'll let you get one free swing in, Robin Hood. Then we're even."

"Done." Said Clint and though Tony hadn't expected him to, he took a swing now, landing a punch cleanly across Tony's face.

"Uh…ow." Was the only reaction he got but it was enough.

"Well, I feel better now."

"Hello Vision." Wanda was more interested in the synthetic being she'd been friends with than in any kind of revenge against Tony.

"Wanda." He greeted with a small smile, glad to see that the woman wasn't taking their last meeting personally, even though they had both said and did things they regretted.

"So where's Thor? I thought this was his gathering?" Steve got down to business.

"He and Loki are out with Natasha looking for Odin." Said Jane, which was apparently the wrong thing as both Steve and Clint tensed and turned to face Tony.

"You forgot to mention Loki was back." Clint all but spat.

"Did I? Maybe cause I was already worried you'd not come and that would be the final push." Tony didn't seem at all unrepentant, though the sincerity in his voice told them he had actually been concerned that they wouldn't come after what had happened.

"We'd never be so petty as to endanger innocent people simply cause we had a fight." Steve's tone was reprimanding, which Tony duly noted.

"Speaking of your fight, should you guys be so out in the open? It's only been three months. I doubt things have died down that much." That thought had just occurred to Jane and she was now worried that task forces would be storming the building soon. However, she apparently needn't have worried as Tony merely laughed.

"Oh please, Janie, what do you think I am a novice?" He used the nickname he'd given her which he knew annoyed her most. "The Joint Counter Terrorist Centre is no better had keeping me out of their systems than S.H.I.E.L.D. was. I had the surveillance devices they 'secretly' planted hacked to show only what I want them to show within minutes of them being set up. The new windows I had put in are also essentially a one-way mirror, but better cause I designed them; we can see out, no one can see in." Her worries assuaged, Jane let the subject drop and she, Tony and Vision got down to explaining just what was going on. They took it about as well as expected, each of them instantly ready for the fight they had been asked to be a part of.

"Sir, Mr. Parker has arrived." F.R.I.D.A.Y. interrupted them over an hour later.

"Let him up F.R.I.D.A.Y." A few minutes later the elevator opened to reveal the last person they expected to see: a nondescript young man who seemed quite in awe as he looked around.

"Oh wow! Mr. Stark this is so cool!" He gushed and he hadn't even set eyes on the people in the room. When he did though, he immediately dropped his backpack – no doubt full of homework, this kid was that young – and rushed to Tony's side, raising his fists as he stared as his gaze shifted from Steve to the others he'd fought a few months ago. "I got your back, Mr. Stark!"

"Woah! Woah! Easy there, Underoos!" Tony moved to stop him. "We're on the same team now."

"Oh really? Cool!" The turnaround was quick and absolute as he took Tony's word for it, not requiring any kind of explanation. "In that case…it's an honour to meet you Captain." He stuck out his hand for Steve to shake, who did so with no small amount of confusion, though he was clearly amused as well. "And I'm sorry about what happened the last time we met." It took a moment but Steve eventually placed the voice.

"You're the kid from the airport."

"Peter Parker, sir." He confirmed.

"Wait, the kid with the weird web thing?" Sam asked, and Peter nodded, not surprised they didn't recognize him as he had been in the suit.

"What's he doing here, Tony?" Jane's voice was cold as she glared at their host, though she honestly already knew the answer.

"The kid's a certified genius. Not on my level of course, but close, so he's here to help us get to Asgard." Tony readily admitted. "And to fight with us." He quietly muttered the last bit though Jane still heard him.

"He's a kid!" She was incensed that he would even consider bringing a kid into this fight. Everyone else was an informed, consenting adult who knew exactly what they were getting in to; this Peter Parker was not. She was not the only one who was upset about it either, as he was receiving stern looks from almost everyone. "He should be hanging out with his friends after school and complaining about doing homework, _not_ having his childhood stolen from him!"

"Hey I'm not a kid!" Peter protested. "Though I mean no offense Miss Foster, you're work on the convergence is absolutely amazing, I'm such a fan. I even reviewed one of your papers for my science class last semester." His entire countenance changed in an instant from defensive and a bit angry to star struck and then back again. "But I'm not a kid. I'm Spider Man."

"I see no one teases him about picking a name after a bug." Scott muttered.

"Shut up Tic Tac." Sam said.

"I hear where you're coming from Jane. But like he said he's not a kid." Tony tried to placate. "Besides if what you say is true then this fight will make or break _everything._ If we don't stop her in Asgard then Hela comes to Earth next and we can't fight her here. Not at half strength, not when the worlds' governments are looking for half of us and we'd have to fend them off as well as Hela. Our best chance is to stop her before she comes to Earth and we're going to need every little bit of help we can get."

"Stark is right." Loki's voice spoke out across the room and everyone whipped around to face him; he was quite alone. "And we must leave now."

"Where's Thor?!" Jane demanded, coming to stand before him, fire in her eyes. "What have you done with him?!"

"I have done nothing, I assure you." He said in his usual snarky tone. "Hela's forces ambushed us. She has taken Thor. And the assassin." He added as an afterthought.

"Natasha and Thor were kidnapped?" Clint demanded, becoming actively involved now that his oldest and dearest friend was missing.

"Yes."

"Why didn't she take you too?" Was the next question.

"This was not a mission of force, but one of stealth. Her disciples had little time and too few numbers to subdue us all. No doubt they deemed me the lesser threat, thinking I would not try and stop their mistress and simply allow her to have Thor."

"Then why did they take Natasha?" Clint wanted answers.

"Luck of the draw, I'm afraid. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got pulled through the portal alongside my brother."

"And how can we trust you?" Steve asked, stepping forward. "After what you did how do we know you're not just lying to us and this isn't some great ruse to kill us all?"

"Believe me, mortal, had I wanted you dead you would already be so." He snarled. "Suffice it to say that the old adage 'better the enemy you know than the one you don't' applies here. I want Hela gone as much as you do. Once the unknown enemy is defeated, however, I can get back to destroying the enemy I do know. Until then we are allies."

"And Odin?" Jane remembered the reason they were on Earth in the first place.

"We were unable to find him. We shall have to fight this battle without the Allfather. Now can we get things moving? Preferably before she launches an attack on Earth?" They still weren't sure if they could trust him, but they really didn't have much of a choice.

"You will bring him back to me." Jane's voice was quiet, she spoke only to Loki, though in the dense silence her words carried. "I want your word that you will do all you can to bring him back safely."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you owe him. If not for him, Thanos would have squashed you when your attack on New York failed." He looked at her surprised. "I may have been out of it with the Aether coursing through me but I heard your little confession on the way to Svartalfheim. It's because of Thor that Thanos' hold on you wasn't strong enough to summon you to him to die for your failure. You owe Thor your life so you _will_ bring him back to me. Understand?" Loki stared at her for a minute. He did not think Thor had even heard him when he'd muttered that bit of information during their discussion, and he had certainly thought the woman was out cold.

"Very well." He said after a moment. "I give you my word I will do all I can to bring him back to you." It was said grudgingly but it was enough for Jane. The others looked to her like she was crazy for trusting his word, this was the god of mischief after all, but Jane knew that in this instance he would not go back on his word, even though she wasn't entirely sure how she knew. "Can we go now?" He then asked. "We have not much time."

"We still haven't figured out how to get you there." Said Jane. "But Hela somehow sent her forces to Earth so there has to be a way. Tell me everything you can." She led Loki down into Tony's lab leaving the others simply standing there.

"Right…" Said Steve. "I guess the rest of us will suit up." Fifteen minutes later they were all down in the lab, listening to Jane talk a mile a minute with only Tony and Peter able to keep up and offer input.

"Enough!" Loki finally snapped, not understanding half of what they were saying simply because of the terminology they used; things had different names in Asgard and if you didn't know Earth's terms it was like listening to a foreign language. "What is the key issue here?

"We have no power source strong enough to create a space door."

"Is that all?" With a wave of his hands he brought out a cube many were familiar with.

"You…you didn't tell us you had the Tesseract!" Jane snapped.

"You never asked. Besides did you really think I would leave an Infinity Stone just lying in wait for her to collect?" Jane sent him a glare but with the Tesseract brought into play once more this wouldn't take long. Within an hour – thanks to Tony's equipment – they had re-created one of the devices Jane had invented and with a bit of added help from Loki had created a portal strong enough to send them all through.

"Let's go." Said Steve, ready to be the first through the portal.

"Hold up a sec, Cap." Tony stopped him and went quickly to retrieve something from a safe against the wall, the item instantly recognized by all. "You dropped this last time I saw you." Steve took the vibranium shield, taking in it's pristine condition, which was not how it looked last time he saw it; Tony had clearly cleaned it up.

"It looks just as good as when your dad first gave it to me." It was a risky move bringing up Howard Stark given what had happened, especially now as they were heading off to war, but Steve felt he needed to know and was glad when Tony didn't disappoint him.

"I know he all but worshipped the ground you walked on, so I couldn't let it stay all scratched up could I?" He seemed to have gotten over his anger against the Captain, at least, though how he felt about Bucky and the events of their last encounter remained to be seen. They'd have to talk, that was unavoidable, but at least Steve knew Tony wouldn't let what happened interfere here. With a simple nod, Steve placed his shield back where it belonged on his arm and turned back to the portal.

"Good luck." Jane said as they stepped through one by one.

 **-/-**

Jane allowed herself to wallow in her worry for the last few hours of the day, though no longer than that. Not wanting to go back to her empty apartment she'd commandeered Stark Tower for herself knowing Tony wouldn't mind, as evidenced by F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s cooperation and, dare she say, care of her. She spent the next two days almost exclusively in Tony's lab trying to come up with a way to find Odin. This was not something she could go to the police about and she doubted that a standard search party would be useful at any rate. This was the Allfather, the king of gods for all intents and purposes; if he didn't want to be found it would be difficult to do so. She had come up with a working theory that as Odin was Thor's father she might be able to find him by genetics; however, she couldn't figure out how to make it work. Having Thor's biological signature on file, as all the Avengers did, she could certainly compare his to his father's to try and find a match, but that served no functional purpose as she'd still have to find him on her own as it would only be once she'd found him that she could use his bio signature to confirm it was him, which she suspected she could do anyways. Sometimes it was frustrating not having power or magic like Thor did.

On the second day she remembered that it would probably be a good idea to text Darcy and Erik and inform them of what was happening. Erik was still recovering from Loki's mind control though had made great progress since the convergence and was back to work, albeit with less responsibilities. He was currently away assisting Maria Hill on a project and so she had to leave him a message. Darcy was another matter entirely and she was not surprised that her old annoying assistant turned friend showed up not thirty minutes after getting her text.

"Miss Lewis is here to see you, Miss Foster." F.R.I.D.A.Y. informed her.

"Let her in, thank you F.R.I.D.A.Y." She left the lab and went to meet the elevator arriving just in time for the doors to open and Darcy to fly at her.

"Oh my god, Jane!" She was crushed in one of Darcy's hugs and struggled to breathe for a moment, though she supposed she'd brought it on herself. "What the hell?! You send me a text saying 'Thor was here, but got kidnapped. Ragnarok has started' and nothing else?!"

"It's not exactly something you say in text, Darcy." For the third time in as many days Jane launched on the tale of what Thor had told her, culminating in Loki's assistance with the Tesseract to take the Avengers to Asgard to fight Hela and get Thor and Natasha back.

"Wow." Was all Darcy could say when she was done. "That's like…bummer."

"Bummer?" Jane was not impressed with that assessment. "I tell you that Asgard is all but destroyed and this Hela might be coming to Earth next and all you can say is _bummer_?" She's gotten up and begun to pace.

"Well what do you want me to say, Jane?"

"I don't know! But something more than bummer when my boyfriend has been kidnapped and could be dead for all I know!" That was what Darcy had been waiting for. She'd known and stuck by Jane for years now, and no matter how smart, logical and analytical her mind was, when it came to Thor she was just like every other woman in love.

"He'll be ok, Jane."

"How do you know that?" Tears began to form in her eyes despite her will for them not to. She'd allowed herself an evening to wallow in misery, she didn't need to cry anymore.

"Because he'd never leave you." Darcy got Jane to sit down again and even to allow her to offer comfort. "Out of the hundreds or thousands of years that thunder god of yours has lived he never once fell in love until you came along. Then he worked hard to be reunited with you and waited for you until you could be together again, not once straying though he was literally a world away. Did he go through all that just to leave you now? I don't think so." Although she'd offered no real evidence that Thor would be ok, her meaningless reassurances were exactly what Jane needed, though she inexplicably broke down in tears.

"I'm sorry." She murmured after she'd cried herself out, Darcy having held her the entire time. "I don't know why I was crying." Darcy gave a her look she'd seen too many times in recent years, the one where Darcy became the teacher.

"You may be book smart, Jane, but you've got a lot to learn about the heart. And I'm afraid it doesn't always make sense." A variation of this conversation was held frequently since the two met given Thor's many lengthy disappearances. Jane was used to not only taking care of herself but taking care of everything and everyone around her – often taking the latter to the point where she neglected herself – but at these times she felt quite useless and she was secretly happy that Darcy had taken it upon herself to take care of her when she was like this. True to form, Darcy then demanded to know when she'd last eaten, a question she couldn't answer but one that F.R.I.D.A.Y. was only too happy to supply. Not saying a word of complaint as Darcy began her rant about how bad it was to lose herself in her work like this, Jane led her to the kitchen and helped make lunch for the two of them.

"I haven't been able to come up with any way to find Odin." She said as they were finishing up, having spent the time talking to Darcy about her latest project. "At least not one that I can do, given I don't have magic."

"It's too bad you couldn't get that supreme sorcerer guy to help you." Darcy said quite flippantly, though her words were the missing link Jane had needed.

"Oh my god! Darcy you're brilliant!"

"Of course I am. Why am I brilliant?" The former assistant apparently had no idea what she'd just said, and Jane shook her head at the typical Darcy. Without so much as an explanation Jane began packing her bag and led the way out of Stark Tower, Darcy following behind demanding answers.

"I can't believe I didn't think of it before!" Jane cried as they took the elevator up to Jane and Thor's apartment. "The Sorcerer Supreme. He was already helping Thor look for Odin and he has magic. I'm so stupid!" When they got to the apartment Jane ran to their bedroom and returned with a bloody shirt, glad that she hadn't had time to clean up.

"And why do we need a bloody shirt?"

"It's Thor's blood. Hopefully he'll be able to find Odin with it as he's Thor's father." Although she was still barely grasping the concept, Darcy obediently followed Jane back down to the street and into the subway. Jane remembered the address that Wong had given them and that was where she was headed.

"177A Bleecker St." She muttered as they arrived at the address. It was a relatively unassuming building for one that was supposedly the home of a powerful sorcerer. There was no bell and knocking on the door provided them with no answer yet they found it unlocked. Not caring that they were technically trespassing given the circumstances, the two went inside.

"Hello?" Jane called out loudly, hoping to gain the inhabitant's attention. "Hello?"

"Are you not even the least bit worried this building is haunted?" Darcy hissed, sticking to Jane's side like glue. While haunted had not crossed her mind abandoned did as they ventured further and came across nothing and no one. Jane was beginning to wonder if Wong had lied to them when they reached the top floor and found a lone man standing in front of a large circular window, looking out onto the city.

"Hi." Jane said, wondering why he hadn't responded to her calls before and hoping coming here hadn't been a mistake. "We're looking for someone called…the Sorcerer Supreme." She realized now how stupid that sounded. Such things made more sense when surrounded by Thor and the Avengers but in the normal world it just made her sound crazy.

"What do you want with him?" The man finally spoke, still not turning to face them. Jane and Darcy had been creeping closer, trying to get a good look at the man who's silhouette was all they could see against the bright sun shining in, and though it was still hard to make out much they could see enough to know they were indeed in the right place.

"You mean what do we want with you?" Jane returned, having gotten close enough to see his strange robe like clothes, similar to Wong's, though he also wore a cape over top. The man finally did turn around now and was even smiling at them.

"Very astute."

"The robes were a dead giveaway." Jane said. "You're the Sorcerer Supreme?" This man was younger than she expected. Given the amount of power he supposedly had, she'd honestly expected an old Merlin-like mage, not a man who couldn't be much older than her.

"What can I do for you ladies?" Was the only confirmation they got.

"We need your help to find King Odin of Asgard." She didn't beat around the bush and his interest was clearly piqued. "I'm Jane Foster, this is my friend Darcy. You were helping my boyfriend, Thor, look for his father a few days ago."

"So _you're_ the woman he wouldn't shut up about." He muttered. "We weren't able to find Odin. And I'm sorry to have to tell you but Thor was-"

"Kidnapped. Yes, I know. Loki returned and took the Avengers to Asgard to try and save him. But we still have to find Odin. Will you help us?" He stared at them for a few moments, looking like he was trying to determine something, much like Wong had, before coming to a conclusion.

"Doctor Stephen Strange, at your service. Though yes, I am known in some circles as the Sorcerer Supreme."

"What kind of title is that?" Darcy demanded suddenly.

"Darcy!" Jane hissed, though Stephen merely laughed.

"It is quite strange I agree."

"Yeah so is your name." It was clear she was trying to make a joke. "Ha! Cause his last name is Strange, get it?"

"Yeah, we get it, Darcy." Although she was entirely annoyed, Stephen at least appeared slightly amused so Jane let it go. "Anyways, how did you search for Odin when you were looking for him with Thor?"

"Through his magic." He answered readily. "Odin is the king of the gods, his power should be immense…or so I thought. We found barely a trace to follow."

"That doesn't surprise me, Odin was very weak when Loki banished him to Earth. If you were searching for something as strong as what led you to Thor you wouldn't find anything."

"Even _two years_ after the fact?" Stephen was truly curious as well as a bit sceptical.

"I believe so, yes. Contrary to human mythology they are not gods; they're born, they live, they die. Some have power, some don't, and of those with power some have innate magic and some don't."

"And you're saying that Odin, king of the gods, for lack of a better term," He amended. "Doesn't have innate magic?"

"Of course he does, gods or not he _is_ still the King of Asgard. But from what Thor's told me it was always his mother, Frigga, who had powerful innate magic, not so much Odin." Jane tried to explain it as Thor had her, hoping she got it right. "Magic she taught Loki, but not Thor when he took more after his father. Just like Thor relied heavily on Mjölnir for the source of his power, Odin relied heavily on Gungnir, a powerful spear belonging to Asgard's King. Without Gungnir Odin was weakened, and after his fight against the Dark Elves and Loki both, what innate magic he has would be weakened as well."

"With Thor standing beside me I could sense his power, but it would be difficult to locate from a distance. Loki's power, on the other hand, lit up like a Christmas tree." Stephen caught on. "If Odin is like Thor, it would be hard for me to detect him, he'd be like any other person in the street without Gung..whatever its called."

"You're a sorcerer right? Like an actual wand waving, objects turning into animals, broom flying sorcerer?" Jane wanted to clarify something.

"Well I myself have never used a wand, and honestly never met one who did-"

"But it is magic you do? Magic like in fairy tales."

"That's putting it simply, but yes."

"And you're using your magic to search for similar magic?"

"Yes."

"Odin's _magic_ is relatively weak, but his _power_ his great. Do not underestimate him or assume that because he doesn't have a great deal of magic similar to yours that he would be helpless without Gungnir." Jane wanted it made clear that it would be more than unwise to assume that Odin would be powerless simply cause he doesn't have his weapon.

"So you're making the assumption that magic and power are two different things." He was intrigued.

"They can be, yes. And in this case I think they are. You can't track Odin's magic because he's weak and isn't a powerful sorcerer to begin with."

"Assuming I'm following this…what do we do now?" Darcy demanded when the explanations got too long for her liking.

"I do not know a way to search for his _power_." Said Stephen. "It may take some time to find one."

"How about searching for his biological signature?" Jane asked, taking out the bloody shirt. "This is Thor's blood and Odin's his father, his bio signature will be similar. And he's the only Asgardian currently on Earth, so it should be even easier as their biology is different than humans. Is there a spell or something that could work?"

"I myself have not studied blood magic, but there are certainly books on it." He took the shirt from Jane and led the way to a door they had not previously seen and they walked quickly to keep up. The door was apparently a portal of some kind as they were clearly no longer in New York when they stepped through. There were two identical looking doors next to the one they came through, though they were not heading through one of them.

"Uh…where are we?" Darcy asked.

"Kamar-Taj. Home to the Masters of the Mystic Arts." They passed by a pedestal, holding a no doubt mystical object and down a few stairs into a library.

"Ah, Stephen." Wong came out from the bookshelves. "And guests."

"Wong." Stephen greeted. "I need all the books you have on blood magic. Specifically anything that can be used to find someone using blood magic." He held up the bloody shirt. "We may have a way to find Odin." Wong nodded and went back into the bookshelves and Stephen took a seat at a nearby table, simply waiting. Jane and Darcy took seats opposite him and they sat in silence for about ten seconds before Darcy could stand it no longer.

"So are you like the master of the Masters of the Mystic Arts or something? I mean, with a title like Sorcerer Supreme…"

"Darcy!" Jane again hissed. "You don't just go around asking people that!"

"Well duh. It's not like you come across many people called the Sorcerer Supreme." Stephen could not keep the amusement off his face and so Jane took that as a sign that he wasn't upset or offended at her questions.

"It's alright. Yes, as Sorcerer Supreme, I am the leader of the Masters of the Mystic Arts."

"And how does one become the Sorcerer Supreme?"

"The old one died. Or should I say the Ancient One died." He gave them a very brief history of the Ancient One and of the battle against Dormammu, knowing Wong would return shortly. "After the battle the other Masters named me the new Sorcerer Supreme."

"Why?"

"Aside from being extremely gifted in the mystic arts," Wong continued for Stephen as he returned with a stack of books, which they both immediately began pouring over. "He is the only one in centuries who has been able to use the Eye of Agamotto."

"I'm certain the Ancient One could have as well." Stephen said.

"Admittedly the Ancient One never tried. At least not that anyone is aware. So far as we know, Stephen is the first since Agamotto himself to open his Eye; the Infinity Stone within chose him."

"Infinity Stone?!" Jane gasped, that being a term she was very familiar with.

"You know of the Infinity Stones?" Wong looked up from his book, more interested in this topic then researching blood magic.

"I don't only know of them, I have personal experience with them. I did a great deal of research on the Tesseract, the Space Stone, for S.H.I.E.L.D. and had a run in with the Aether, the Reality Stone, when it invaded my body. The Mind Stone currently resides in Vision's – one of the Avenger's – forehead."

"It is not a coincidence that so many Infinity Stones have appeared, nor that they are in such close proximity." Wong seemed worried, and Jane's next words did nothing to ease it.

"A great evil named Thanos is searching for them. It's just another reason we need to find Odin. If anyone knows how to stop him it will be the King of Asgard and protector of the nine realms." Thor was concrete in his belief that this was true, thus the reason he'd gone back to Asgard to speak with his father when the Mind Stone had first appeared.

"And he's probably gonna come here if you've really got one of those stone thingys." Darcy added. "So be careful." Wong said no more and returned to searching through the books with Stephen. The Sorcerer Supreme had not looked up from the books as they talked, but he'd certainly been listening.

"Here!" Wong said after nearly a half hour. Stephen took the book and looked at the spell within before flipping to the back.

"Always check for warnings in the back of the book." He muttered, which seemed to amuse Wong. Finding nothing troubling he closed the book and led the way back to the door they'd first come through.

"Stephen." Wong stopped them before they could leave. He was standing in front of the pedestal looking pointedly down at the object which Jane now noticed resembled an eye. "Take it. It chose you and will be safest with you." Stephen hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed and went over to take the Eye, placing it around his neck.

"Let the other Masters know we may soon have a fight on our hands." He instructed Wong. "I'll return as soon as we've found Odin to see what cane be done." Turning, he walked back to the door, which opened automatically for him, and the three returned to New York.

* * *

 **A/N - I know in the movie Stephen technically became the protector of the New York Sanctum and not the new Sorcerer Supreme, but in the comics (at least one version of them according to wikipedia) he becomes Sorcerer Supreme when the Ancient One dies, which did happen in the movie, so I'm going with it. Also I have no idea how the Sorcerer Supreme is actually chosen, but I don't think it farfetched that the Masters vote on it, nor that they'd choose Stephen given that he can use the Time Stone, for as we know only immensely powerful beings can use them.**

 **The magic and power being two separate things will be delved into more next chapter, and I hope it is (or will be) explained well enough.**

 **Review please!**


	4. Odin Allfather

_Disclaimer: I do not own Thor, nor The Avengers or any other Marvel movie._

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – Odin Allfather**

* * *

Thor waited for the gate to open, knowing the battle to come wouldn't be easy. After having been taken from Earth, he'd been dropped on Sakaar on the other side of the galaxy and given into the hands of its ruler, the Grandmaster, who'd been quick to send the son of Odin into the arena. Natasha had been separated from him and he had no idea where she was, nor if she was even alive; however, for now he had to focus on keeping himself alive. He would be of no help to anyone if he got killed now, though he was certain that was Hela's plan by having sent him here, to make sport out of his death. As the gate opened Thor took a deep breath and walked into the arena. He stopped not far inside and put his helmet on, readying himself for this battle.

"And now I give you…" The announcer began, dragging it out. "Your Incredible Hulk!" That had not been what Thor was expecting, though the green mutated being who charged through the gate on the other end of the arena before it had even opened was indeed his fellow Avenger.

"Yes!" Thor shouted happily, causing the cheering, and jeering, of the crowd to die down. The Grandmaster, who was seated on a plush couch in the top box, leaned forward confused. "We know each other!" Thor explained. "He's a friend from work." Or perhaps not, as Thor found out when he turned smilingly back to face Bruce only to be met with a glaring Hulk preparing to attack. "Oh come on!"

 **-/-**

The spell Wong had found would pinpoint a person's location on a map using anything from blood to hair to saliva to even skin cells; anything that was a part of them biologically speaking. Stephen seemed a bit surprised when he read exactly what it did for it was truly a tracking spell rather than blood magic, which he had not known existed; clearly the magic of the Masters of the Mystic Arts was closer to that of wand waving wizards than he thought. Laying a map of New York City out on a table he placed the shirt on top of it and began the spell. It took longer than expected and it pinpointed a weak signal when it finally zoned in on a location in Manhattan, though as Jane had said this was Thor's blood, not Odin's, so it was understandable as it was not a perfect match to the person they were looking for. Finding the nearest intersection that he was familiar with, Stephen used his Sling Ring to open a portal. Jane and Darcy followed behind him, though the former was apparently in shock.

"You…how…?" She seemed unable to grasp what had just happened.

"The Sling Ring allows us to travel throughout the multiverse." Stephen explained, holding up the two-fingered ring.

" _What?!"_ Jane gasped. "Let me see if I understand this…you can use that ring to travel anywhere? Not just on Earth, but between worlds?"

"Yes." Jane wasn't sure if she felt like laughing or crying. Even Darcy understood what that meant and was looking at the older woman hesitantly.

"Breathe, Jane." Laughter finally rang out, though it was bitter laugh.

"I spent the better part of four years trying to find a way to create a portal from Earth to another realm. _Four years_ …and here you are telling me travel through the nine realms is easy for you."

"The Sling Ring does take a great deal of magic to master." Stephen tried to console her. "And while it has the power to take us anywhere in the multiverse we must be able to picture it, to see the destination in our mind's eye and look beyond the world in front of us."

"Still…" Jane reminded herself that they had a mission and so pushed these thoughts aside for later. "Let's go find Odin." It took mere minutes to reach the location the spell gave them and they looked around, searching for the King of Asgard, only to come up short.

"I doubt he'd be looking all king-like though right?" Said Darcy. "So he's gotta be here, looking just like everyone else." With that in mind they searched again but still found nothing.

"He's not here." Stephen was about ready to give up and return to the Sanctum to try the spell again. "The spell must be off."

"Or not." Jane murmured, having seen movement in a nearby alley which they'd previously missed. She just knew somehow that that is where Odin was, and though it was an old homeless man sitting on a cardboard box that was presented to them when they approached, Jane would never forget him. "Odin." The man looked up when she spoke to him but didn't say a thing. The King of Asgard looked anything but at the moment and there was a gravity to this situation that had even Darcy holding her tongue and not spouting some smart ass remark. Although he did not speak, Jane could see the recognition in his eye – the one he'd lost in battle being covered by a cloth wrapped around his head – when he looked at her before they became guarded once more. He coughed suddenly and the doctor in Stephen had him kneeling down instantly, checking him over.

"He's burning up." That had become very apparent the moment Stephen had laid a hand on Odin's forehead. "And from the sound of that cough his lungs aren't in great shape. We need to get him help."

"Where's the nearest hospital?" Jane asked, coming forward to help Stephen lift Odin to his feet.

"No." Odin wheezed, using his feeble strength to try and get free; it was a testament to how weak he was that he couldn't break free from even Jane's hold on him. "No."

"So you want to die?" Stephen demanded. "Cause king of the gods or not, that's where you're headed if we don't get you help." He didn't understand Odin's refusal of aid, though Jane suddenly did; she knew from personal experience that Odin never did anything without a purpose and even in this state that appeared to still be true.

"He doesn't want a hospital _because_ he's the king of the gods, not because he wants to die. He may look it but he's not human. They won't know what to make of him." Knowing this fact now made her all the more glad that they had not gotten around to running tests on Thor when she, Erik and Darcy had dropped him at the hospital after hitting him with her car. Thor had said he came to just before they could take any blood and his subsequent violent outburst had stopped anyone from even coming near him and he'd escaped before they could try again. Odin looked at her when she spoke, his expression undeterminable, though he did not counter her claim. "Can you or anyone at Kamar-Taj help him?"

"Only to a certain extent. But I promise that if you do need a hospital we won't go through the normal channels." Odin hesitated then nodded and Stephen once again used his Sling Ring, this time creating a portal directly to Kamar-Taj.

The Masters of the Mystic Arts did have healers and along with Stephen's own skill as a doctor they determined that Odin did not need an emergency room and could recover at Kamar-Taj; though Stephen did disappear for a bit, returning with some medication and even a cardiac monitor, while muttering that he owed someone named Christine big time. Odin proved Jane right that he didn't want to die by being a model patient over the next couple of days. Stephen was astounded by the progression of Odin's healing. This amount of progress usually took weeks, he said, though he supposed that Asgardians were much more resilient and healed faster than humans. After just one day he and the other healers were completely confident in saying that Odin's illness wasn't caused by some condition but rather by age and simple lack of care of himself, which was understandable given where he'd been found. Throughout his recovery Jane stayed at Kamar-Taj as Stephen's guest, refusing to leave Odin, though Darcy did return home, even if she texted Jane constantly. Jane had given her boyfriend's father a wide berth for two days, looking in on him occasionally but otherwise not trying to interact with him. However, she knew this could not continue given that Thor was still missing – possibly dead, though she refused to think like that – and so the moment Stephen said he was doing much better and would fully recover, Jane went to see him.

"I was wondering when you would no longer simply stand at the door looking in." Odin said when she entered. He was still confined to bed even with his quick recovery, though Stephen said that if this continued he could get up tomorrow. He was currently sitting up, staring out the window overlooking Kathmandu.

"I didn't want to hinder your recovery by dumping all this on you too soon." She said as she took a seat in the chair by his bed. "We – that is to say, the nine realms – need their protector. Seeking your help before you're strong enough to give it would serve no purpose save perhaps to prolong the evitable death and destruction."

"It serves you well that you can see that. Most beings, humans especially, tend to give in to their fear and panic and would have demanded my aid the moment they found me." Finally he looked at her and Jane took it as a good sign that he didn't wear the same fierce expression as he had during their last encounter. However, he also wasn't smiling at her, so she did not delude herself into thinking he suddenly liked her.

"You'll find I'm not like most humans. My mind is…wired differently, I guess you could say. I often see things in ways most people don't." Odin said nothing so she pressed on. "However, now that you are nearly recovered we do need your help. Hela escaped, and attacked Asgard. Mjölnir has been destroyed and Thor has been captured. Loki has taken the Avengers to try and stop her, but we don't hold out much hope. Before he was taken, Thor said that Ragnarok was upon us." This was apparently news to Odin, though the only indication of that was a slight widening of the eyes.

"I see." He said after a moment. "No doubt Loki thought Hela would be an ally in achieving his goals, though he quickly discovered otherwise and now seeks to correct his mistake." His tone revealed his absolute certainty of Loki's current intentions, just as Thor had been certain that they could trust Loki. For now, at any rate. "What makes Thor thinks Ragnarok has come?"

"He said…he said that Asgard was gone. Destroyed, all of it. He seemed to think Ragnarok was the only thing capable of destroying Asgard so thoroughly."

"But you are not so convinced."

"I don't know enough about it to be convinced either way. Our legends call Ragnarok the end of everything, Earth included, and yet here we still are. Even Thor admitted it was legend in Asgard, but said that your legends were based more in fact than fiction and that only Ragnarok could destroy Asgard."

"My son is not wrong that our legends are based more in fact than those of humans, though that is simply a by-product of our long lives. However, Ragnarok is a nearly unknown legend even to us, but it is not the end of Asgard." He certainly had her attention, though he expected nothing less given her inquisitive nature. "Ragnarok is said to be death and rebirth as one. The Asgard we know will fall, but a new future will be born from the ashes. Ragnarok has happened before. The Asgard that Thor was born into, that I, and my father before me, were born into, is the version of the Realm Eternal that arose from the Ragnarok that took place in the time of my great-great-great-great-grandfather. You know of our long lives, but that is a time so many millennia past that even one as old as I cannot fathom. My ancestor survived to rebuild Asgard and Ragnarok disappeared into legend. Asgard is called the Realm Eternal for a reason: it can never truly perish. It can live in a state of such decay it might as well be gone, or it can rise again, but either way it shall live. I pray that Thor is right and that another Ragnarok is indeed upon us, for it means not all is lost."

"I hope you're right. And I hope he's safe." She murmured. Odin studied her for a moment, his one eye seeming to stare deep into her soul.

"You fight for him though you do not truly believe you can be together."

"Like you said last time we met, I'm only mortal and he's…he's practically a god. You were right when you said I don't belong with him."

"I never said any such thing."

"You said – with a great deal of vehemence, I might add – that I didn't belong there any more than a goat at a banquet table. You don't like me. I get it."

"Do not twist my words, Jane Foster. It is true I said you did not belong in Asgard, but I never said you did not belong with my son."

"But-" He held up a hand to silence her.

"You are mortal, while Thor is not. When he returned from his banishment and spoke so highly of you I become worried that he would sacrifice Asgard for you. I sought to curb his affection, knowing that if he grew too attached it would destroy him when he lost you to age in what is but seconds of time to us. I knew also that he might try to make you his queen and the Aesir would not accept a mortal as such. So yes, fearing for Asgard's future, as well as that of my eldest son, I sought to see him forget you. I realized too late that that was impossible. When Frigga died-"

"I'm so sorry for your loss." She murmured over him and he saw clearly where she placed blame.

"Do not blame yourself for Frigga's death. Malekith is responsible, though Frigga herself went to Valhalla willingly. She protected you that day not only to try and stop Malekith of obtaining the Aether, but also because she realised what I did not at the time: that you were the woman our son loves, so she could do nothing less than protect you for him. When Thor escaped Asgard with you and Loki I returned to my chambers and found that she was guiding me still, even from Valhalla. She left me something that reminded me that you were the reason we had our son returned to us; were it not for you, he would have remained banished on Earth. She reminded me also that Thor is not the first Asgardian, nor even the first Asgardian who will be king, who loved a mortal. My own great-grandfather took a mortal as his wife." Jane didn't know what to say. Whatever she had thought Odin would tell her, whatever feelings she had thought he harboured for her, it had not been this. "I cannot tell you what the future holds, but I must beg you not to give up on my son." He grasped her hand, squeezing it comfortingly, and though it lasted but a moment, she knew it was his way of accepting her and she could not stop the tears that came.

"Thank you." She murmured, squeezing his hand in return, before getting back to the topic at hand. "We uh…we need to go find Thor and help the others." Odin sighed.

"In this, I fear, I will be of little use. You were correct in your assumption that my innate magic is not terribly powerful. Although you waited two days to speak with me, the Sorcerer Supreme did not." He said explanation of knowing her discussion with Stephen before they'd found him.

"Of course when you say not terribly powerful, its still probably a force to be reckoned with." A ghost of a smile crossed Odin's face when she said that.

"Perhaps. The Odinforce is the centre of my power, both magical and otherwise, and is still weak, having not had a chance to recharge. Usually this would be accomplished through the Odinsleep, but to enter it now could see me never awaken. In other words, without Gungnir I will be a hindrance in battle at the moment."

"And if we got it back for you?" Jane asked. "If you had Gungnir in your possession?"

"Things would be different." He agreed. "But how do you propose to get it? If it too has not been destroyed."

"I think that depends on if Loki used Gungnir to fight her. I've read up on Hela, and I know human myths themselves are not truth, but there is truth in them. Between my research and what Thor has told me, Hela seems like someone who likes her trophies. Destroying Mjölnir served a purpose; it both proved her strength and destroyed a powerful weapon that was being used against her. If Loki fought her with Gungnir I could see her destroying it too for that same reason, but if it was merely just lying there in the palace…I think she'd just love to have the weapon of the King of Asgard in her possession."

"And if it is in her possession, how do you propose to reclaim it?"

"That's where our friend the Sorcerer Supreme comes in." Jane turned to the door where both she and Odin had known he was lurking for some time, listening to their conversation, knowing if they wanted it private they would have at least shut the door.

"I'm happy to help where I can, least of all because stopping Hela now stops her from coming to Earth." He said as he entered the room. "I don't see how I can be of help though."

"Your Sling Ring. It can travel through the multiverse. It can get us to Asgard." Jane explained. "I've also spent a fair bit of time in your library these last few days, both reading and speaking with Wong. He told me of your use of the Sling Ring to secret books you weren't supposed to have out of the library."

"And you think I can just stick my hand through a portal and grab Gungnir." He didn't seem opposed to the idea, though his tone and expression clearly conveyed he didn't think it would be as simple as Jane thought it would be.

"Sort of. We don't know where on Asgard Gungnir would be, or even if its there. We'd have to go and find it. It would also allow us to see how things are in Asgard." Stephen thought about it for a moment.

"I could take us into the Mirror Dimension the moment we arrive." He muttered to himself. "We'd be harder to detect and even if she followed us there it couldn't make things worse in the real world."

"So you'll take us there?" Jane didn't give him any more time to think.

" _You_ are not going anywhere." Odin's sharp words reminded Jane greatly of his son, who was clearly the reason he did not want her to go. "We do not know the state of Asgard nor what we will find upon arrival and you have no means to defend yourself against forces such as these." Once again Jane recognized the truth in what was being said, though she wasn't prepared to give in so quickly this time.

"I will go alone." Stephen said, cutting off any argument before it could start. "I will return, hopefully with Gungnir, and we shall go from there." Odin and Jane both nodded their acceptance and Stephen turned to go before remembering one important detail.

"I have no idea how to get to Asgard." He said. "To use the Sling Ring effectively I must be able to picture the destination in my mind's eye. Since I've never been to Asgard, that's going to be a problem." Jane hadn't thought of that and began wracking her brain for a solution, but Odin already had one. Using what magic he had he projected his memories of Asgard outwards. Much like Frigga and Loki's illusions it took over the entire room so it appeared that they were on Asgard, specifically on a low balcony that was not entirely man made, but jutted out of the land itself. The illusion lasted only a few moments but it was enough.

"I am afraid that is all I can do." Odin said. "My illusions are rather weak, especially now. That balcony should be a safe landing place. Whatever Hela has done to Asgard, she cannot have destroyed the realm itself, so the landmasses will still be there."

"This is what Gungnir looks like." Jane added, flipping open a book she'd brought with her as she had another thought that Stephen wouldn't know what to look for. Or perhaps he would if Hela kept it close. "Our myths get some things right." Stephen nodded and took his leave, going to inform Wong and the other masters of his departure. With him gone the atmosphere became awkward for Jane, who was lost in her thoughts and wanted to escape, though wasn't sure if she could do so politely, especially while being under Odin's scrutiny.

"So, your power is called the _Odin_ force, and there's a healing sleep called the _Odin_ sleep. Does that change with each of Asgard's Kings? Like when Thor becomes King will it be the _Thor_ force and _Thor_ sleep?" Jane found herself asking the first question that came to her mind and cringed wen she actually asked it.

"Of all the questions you could ask me, that is the one you choose?" He was amused.

"Yeah, it kind of just popped into my head…"

"Technically yes, it changes with each of Asgard's Kings for it is their force. In my father, King Bor's, time is called the Borfoce and Borsleep. Of course, Thor may call it what he chooses when his time comes." Jane nodded and lapsed back into silence, once again letting her thoughts wonder.

"You still doubt my words." Odin broke the silence after awhile. For all the casualness of her previous question, he knew what she was truly thinking.

"Well…yes." She admitted. "It wasn't that long ago that you were so against me being with Thor, and suddenly you've changed your tune?"

"Two years is 'sudden' for mortals now, is it?" He did not seem to take offense at her doubt. "Thor was a different person before you met him. He was arrogant, impulsive, eager for war, to name a few traits. Yet less than a week on Earth and he is changed, yet I cannot change after two years?" Now Jane was embarrassed, for he did have a point. She knew people could change, and that sometimes it didn't take much, or long, for them to change, yet she had never thought Odin capable of it himself.

"I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to think you unmoveable."

"I was unbending for quite a long time." He confessed. "As King of Asgard I had to be. I faced many enemies, fought countless wars and spent century upon century ensuring the protection of the nine realms. I was indeed set in my ways, ways that are hard to break, nor did I think they should be broken."

"Until?"

"Until I lost my son, for reasons even I do not still fully understand. Until my beloved Frigga was taken from me, and the safety of the nine realms was put in peril once more; until my son betrayed me once again, banishing me here for what he no doubt thought would be eternity. Through all that has happened during my lifetime I have held fast, not allowing anything to touch me beyond the surface of the king and warrior I presented to the realms. Then Frigga presented me with a son, and shortly after I found Loki, a babe left to die on Jotunheim."

"Your family pierced the surface." She surmised.

"Yes. I fell deeply in love with my wife and sons and was vulnerable in a way I never had been before. It was a vulnerability I quickly learned would not be overcome, and a vulnerability that has hurt me deeply in recent years." Jane didn't know how to respond to that and so for awhile just sat there until an unrelenting question popped into her head.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Odin stared at her for a moment, that feeling that he could see inside her soul returning.

"I have my reasons." Was his only response. Any further talk was cut off as Stephen returned with Gungnir in hand, and Wong hot on his heels.

"You weren't gone long." Jane said in surprise, for it had only been fifteen minutes.

"I got lucky. Though there's nothing lucky about the situation." He said as he came forward and handed Gungnir to its rightful owner. The air became thick when Odin took his weapon, even Jane could feel the power radiating off both man and relic. "The battle's going on right now." Stephen continued before anyone could ask. That's why I got lucky. The Avengers are fighting Hela, who was using Gungnir against them. I was able to slip right up to her and grab Gungnir from the Mirror Dimension before getting the hell out of there. From what I saw I doubt I would have even gotten close – in the Mirror Dimension or not – if she hadn't been so distracted." That news did not go over well, but the fact that they were fighting on Asgard at least told them that not all was destroyed; Hela clearly sought to rule over those who had imprisoned her.

"And was…was Thor there?" Jane had to ask. Stephen expression said it all and her eyes closed as she tried to stop tears from falling.

"Do not assume him dead." Said Odin who had risen from his bed for the first time in days, looking quite a bit better after being reunited with Gungnir for but a few moments. "We do not know what happened to him after he was taken captive, and Thor will not be easy to kill."

"But if he's not fighting…"

"Perhaps he is injured. Or perhaps he was not taken to Asgard, in which case we will simply have to find him."

"From anywhere in the nine realms." Jane didn't sound too hopeful, though Thor being lost out there was far better than him being dead.

"We will find him if that be the case, do not doubt that."

"Except that you are still too weak to fight." Stephen cut in.

"If the battle rages now then I have no choice." He replied. "Gungnir has returned some of my strength, and being on Asgard will as well."

"You draw strength from Asgard?" Jane asked. "In the literal sense?"

"Being King of Asgard does not have the same meaning as being a king on Earth. It is not merely a title that can be stolen so easily. I am bound to Asgard in such a way that it is a part of me, as I am a part of it, and will remain bound thusly until my rightful heir ascends the throne. Loki's time masquerading as me did not truly make him Asgard's King, though only Asgard itself would have recognized that as the magic within the realm itself would not answer to him."

"So for simplicity's sake that's a yes." Jane summarized. "You will draw power from Asgard itself, and the longer you're there the more strength you can absorb; the more powerful you will become."

"Yes." He replied simply this time.

"Then to give you your best chance to heal, and us our best chance to defeat Hela, you need time on Asgard to absorb its power before you enter the fight."

"Unfortunately time is not a luxury we have."

"That's not exactly true." Stephen spoke up, though explained no further. Wong seemed to know what he was getting at, and after a moment, Odin did as well, leaving Jane unhappily in the dark.

"Alright then lets go."

"I don't think-"

"I don't intend to fight in battle." Jane interrupted Stephen. "But I _can_ work towards finding Thor, and it'll be a lot easier from Asgard. Either he's there and I can help heal him if he's hurt, or I use the Tesseract to search the other realms. You may have to force Loki to give that to me though." She added to Odin. "Either way I'm coming." They knew they could stop her, it would not be difficult given she had no power to fight them with, but something in her eyes told Odin it would not be wise to leave her behind.

"Very well then, Jane Foster." He said. "But I will have your word that you will stay by my side until necessity forces us apart; we will both search for Thor until I can no longer stay out of battle." Jane readily agreed and although he still wasn't so convinced, Stephen did not fight Odin on it and used his Sling Ring to open a portal to Asgard once more. Stepping through, Jane found Asgard very different from the last time she was here. It looked like everything was indeed destroyed, only ruins of buildings stood before them, littered with bodies that had not been granted a proper burial, or, she supposed, a proper send off to Valhalla. The sounds of battle could heard nearby and although they were far enough away not to see it, they did not stay where they were. Odin led them towards the battle stopping only when he could see Hela. She was in the centre of battle fighting the Avengers as well as whom Jane recognized to be Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. Heimdall and Loki could be seen not far away as well fighting amongst Hela's forces, alongside a variety of beings she could not place; except for one.

"Thor!" She gasped, seeing him fighting amongst the Avengers. His hair had been cut and he fought with sword and shield as Mjölnir was gone, but it was most certainly him. Whatever had happened to him he had recovered from it in the time it took Stephen to return to Earth and them to come to Asgard and she could not have been happier.

"I am glad to see my son was right." Said Odin, a small smile gracing his lips. "Ragnarok has come, the amount of death and destruction tells me that plainly, but Asgard has not been obliterated to the point of no return. Though it will not be easy to build again, Asgard shall rise from the ashes of this battle. Before you are warriors from across the nine realms, fighting for a common goal." Although his words left little doubt that Asgard would survive this battle, he made so such promise for the individuals who fought here today; Jane could still lose many of those she cared about. "I am certain I do not need to caution you about the dangers of using the Time Stone." He now addressed Stephen.

"I read the warnings after the spells." He joked, though there was a seriousness in his meaning. "Besides, I'm merely buying us time, not altering it." He flew off then, landing closer to the battle where he knew he would be heard, with Wong beside him, having conjured a portal as he himself could not fly. Odin moved from beside Jane and stood back a ways, holding Gungnir in front of him and closing his eyes. She assumed he was meditating or something so as to connect with Asgard better, leaving her to watch from above what happened next.

"Hela!" Stephen shouted and the battle all but came to a stop. The woman in question stared him down, though he seemed quite unaffected by her glare. "Surrender, Hela. I'll give you only one chance." She laughed as many villains did, feeling confident in her superiority.

"You amuse me, mortal." She said, raising her weapon, a type of sword, towards him. Jane stifled a gasp as she moved swiftly, summoning her power and launching it at Stephen and Wong. It enveloped them and for a moment Jane thought it was the end, until she remembered the Infinity Stone in Stephen's possession.

"Hela!" Stephen shouted and the battle all but came to a stop. The woman in question stared him down, though he seemed quite unaffected by her glare. "Surrender, Hela. I'll give you only one chance." She laughed as many villains did, feeling confident in her superiority, though it cut off abruptly. Jane wasn't sure why she'd stopped laughing, though she didn't have to wait long for an explanation.

"What is this? What have you done?" She seethed.

"This," Stephen held up his arm where three bands of magic could be seen wrapped around him, glowing the same green colour as the Eye of Agamotto around his neck. "Is time. Endless, looped time." Odin had mentioned the Time Stone mere moments ago and it suddenly made sense to Jane exactly what Stephen had done.

"You cannot hold it forever." Hela spat, preparing to attack again.

"Why don't you ask Dormammu if I can hold it forever or not?" His question stopped her in her tracks. "I can sense the magic you draw from his Dark Dimension, where he returned after failing to destroy my world. This is not the first time I've done this, Hela. Dormammu bargained with me rather than relive the same moment for all eternity."

"Bargained…so you could not defeat Lord Dormammu. What makes you think you can defeat me?"

"You're right that I couldn't defeat him, he was too powerful. Of course the fact that you call him _Lord_ Dormammu tells me you're not as powerful as he is, so maybe I could defeat you. But I'm not even going to try, because you're going to surrender."

"Am I?"

"Yes you are. Maybe not now, perhaps you need to be here for awhile, having this discussion over and over again, but eventually you'll surrender because it is the only hope you have. Surrendering gives you a chance to escape again, a chance to start over, while not surrendering ensures you remain my prisoner forever."

"It goes both ways though. If I am a prisoner of time, so too are you."

"Maybe. But as I told Dormammu it's a price I'm willing to pay, for it means you can't hurt anyone else."

"But it's a price that not only you pay. You sentence everyone here to an eternity in this moment."

"Yes. But they're willing to give their lives to stop you. Being stuck here amounts to the same thing, and I'm not hearing any complaints." Hela had no response to that and merely continued to glare at Stephen. Jane didn't know how long their stalemate lasted, nor would she if Stephen had used the Time Stone again, though she was aware that one moment Hela was glaring at Stephen and the next she had attacked.

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 **A/N - Not much on where Thor's at but this is pretty much written from Jane's POV. It is also left purposefully vague as _Ragnarok_ obviously hasn't been released yet, so we don't really know what's gonna happen there, and I did try and stick close to the MCU (though with key changes obviously) so a good deal of what happens in _Ragnarok_ will be the same here too.**

 **Review please!**


	5. Another is Worthy

_Disclaimer: I do not own Thor, nor The Avengers or any other Marvel movie._

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 **Chapter 5 – Another is Worthy**

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Whether or not this was still the second time living this moment or many after it, Jane didn't know, but something had changed for instead of continuing to stare at Thor – whom she could not break her gaze from, though she listened to Stephen and Hela's exchange – she was suddenly gone, brought to who knows where, though it was clearly somewhere in space. Jane didn't know how she got here, though that was barely a brief thought as she became aware that she was hovering in space without any kind of protective gear. Panic set in though it didn't take long for her brain realize that she wasn't dead, nor was she experiencing any kind of consequences from being in space without a suit on. Not long after that realization she took a good look around, taking in everything surrounding her, and trying to figure out why she had been brought to this point in space. It was beautiful, was her first thought, everything looking exactly like many of the images returned from the Hubble telescope; the blackness of space dotted with thousands of stars that were light-years away, looking no bigger than tiny spots of light. However, there was one glaring exception.

"A planetary nebula." She murmured, looking out at the rings of illuminated gas caused by a dying star. She got the sudden urge to approach it. More than an urge, it was really a burning need and she somehow knew that it would not hurt her. Following whatever instinct she suddenly had, Jane leaned forward and began flying towards the star, some unseen force propelling her through space. The closer she got the brighter the star became though it never once hurt her eyes nor did it become so bright as to wash out the surrounding area. Suddenly Jane forced herself to a stop. She didn't know why she was brought here, nor who had brought her here or what their purpose was. She was smart enough to work out that whoever had brought her here was directing her towards the star and for all she knew it could be a trap. Although the burning need was still there, Jane refused to give in to it as she thought on what could be going on.

 _You are smart._ Jane frantically searched for the voice that had spoken but saw nothing. She knew that didn't necessarily mean anything, whoever it was could be invisible, but Jane suspected that no one was there and she was hearing the voice in her head.

 _It is wise to be cautious in uncertain times but now is not one of those times. Continue forwards, and then return to Asgard._ Although she was still uncertain, Jane found herself moving once more as the unseen force compelled her. When she got close enough for the nebula to have engulfed her she came to a stop once again, hovering directly before the first bit of movement, besides her own, that she had seen. Something was forming before her, the light of the dying star gathering and taking shape. Within moments it had formed enough for her to recognize Mjölnir; the hammer that had been originally forged in a dying star, was doing so once again. When Thor's hammer was fully formed before her, she reached out to grasp it, somehow knowing that she could lift it, and disappeared from deep space.

 _Good luck, Jane Foster. Perhaps things will end differently than I thought after all._

 **-/-**

Jane reappeared back on Asgard and immediately she could tell that Stephen's play with time had come to an end for the battle had resumed. She sought out Thor and saw him fighting alongside both his Asgardian friends, Stephen, and the Avengers, all save for the Hulk, who was smashing his way through Hela's forces left, right and centre. Turning to her left, Jane saw that Odin was still in deep meditation, so she clearly had not been gone long. That thought brought forth many more, primarily who had taken her from Asgard and how they had done so when she, like everyone else, was supposed to be stuck in Stephen's time loop. However, she pushed those thoughts down, knowing it was unimportant at the moment. Right now she was holding Mjölnir – whether a new one or a fixed old one she didn't know, nor did she care – a weapon of such supposed great power that it had no equal as either a weapon to destroy or a tool to build. Or so she had been told, and whether true or not it was in her hands and she desperately wanted to test its power to destroy. That same feeling she had had when she knew she could lift Thor's hammer returned and she felt an electric current running all over her body. Without really knowing what she was doing, Jane raised the hammer high and watched as the sky darkened and thunder rumbled as lightning gathered, concentrated on Mjölnir. The battle below stopped once more, which was good for Jane as it meant those she aimed for were easier to hit. Some managed to dodge, but many of Hela's forces were fried. Two more bolts of lightning hit their enemies before Jane stopped; having never wielded such power before she could not maintain it for long.

"Jane!" She heard Thor roar her name and saw movement as he rushed to her side, arriving in time to catch her, though she had been unaware she was about to collapse.

"Woah." She breathed, her head spinning, though it thankfully went away quickly.

"Jane…how…?" Though the question was left unspoken she heard it loud and clear for it was one everyone was asking: how, and why, did she have Mjölnir and was wielding its power?

"I dunno." Was the truthful answer, and while Thor seemed content with it for now, one did not. Using whatever power was at her disposal, Hela rose up in the air and hovered before them, her eyes all but shooting daggers at them.

"This can't be!" She seethed, her quiet words carrying in the silence that reigned, each and every combatant using the interlude to rest and regain some strength, though they were still always on alert. "Mjölnir is gone!"

"So I was told. Guess we were both wrong." Jane shot back. Knowing that regardless of the fact she could clearly wield its power Mjölnir would be much better off in Thor's hands, she shoved the hammer towards him and felt relieved as he took it. Just like the last time Mjölnir had been restored to him on Earth, thunder and lightning surrounded him, returning him to full strength and exchanging the gladiator like armour he'd been wearing for his usual Asgardian armour and cape. Even his hair, which had been cut short, was returned to its normal length; Mjölnir's power returned every bit of Thor to his proper state.

"No fair, I didn't get a costume change." Jane mumbled to herself before cringing. She'd never understood how Thor and the Avengers could banter or think of anything but the task at hand while in battle, though no actual fighting was going on at this moment, they were very much still at war, and yet that stray thought had not only crossed her mind but made it passed her lips. Thankfully no one else heard her so she could quickly return focus to the present, just in time for Thor in all his glory to be revealed as the light disappeared.

"Impossible!" Hela shouted, her hands clenched at her side. She was clearly readying an attack and Thor instinctively pushed Jane behind him, though it was unnecessary.

"After all you have seen and done, you should know by now that nothing is impossible."

"Odin." A brief flash of fear crossed Hela's face as she laid eyes on the one to have defeated and imprisoned her centuries ago, but it was quickly gone, replaced by pure anger. The Allfather, who like Thor was once again decked out as the Asgaridan King he was, came to stand alongside his son with Jane bookended between the two. "I should have known the Frost Giant imposter didn't have the guts to kill you. I would have sought you out myself, but as you can see," She waved her arms wide, looking proudly at the destruction all around her. "I was quite busy."

"Yes, I see you have brought Ragnarok upon Asgard."

"And yet you seem unconcerned that your realm is destroyed." Few could match Odin's wisdom, and arguably none could match his infuriating calm in the face of danger, nor his ability to apparently have an answer for everything. No matter what she did, no matter the power she had nor the knowledge she possessed, she'd never been able to cause Odin to falter. It was something that pissed Hela off to no end and she desired nothing more in that moment then to snuff out the knowing glint in his eye.

"You of all people should know that Ragnarok is not the end of Asgard. This is the Realm Eternal, and it shall continue for eternity. Your ancestors learned that the hard way when they brought about Ragnarok many thousands of years ago. And now you seem intent on following their path."

"I am not my ancestors, but a being beyond them. I will not only finish what they started, but will see the nine realms brought to its knees before me."

 _Apparently evil beings bragging about their evil plans is not a trait unique to_ Earth's _evil beings._ Jane thought.

"I destroyed Mjölnir, the weapon who's 'power has no equal' " She smirked. "Clearly my power is not only equal, but superior to it. Give up, Odin, while you still can."

"Mjölnir's power as both a weapon and tool has no equal should its full power be released. Though he has learned much, Thor has not yet released that power, else we would not be having this discussion." He sounded so certain and Jane could feel Thor puff up at his father's praise. "Of course, whether Mjölnir's power is all it is said to be or not should be of no concern to you, Hela."

"And why is that?"

"Because it is not Mjölnir, nor Thor, you must defeat." His intent was clear and though she seemed to prepare herself, Hela could not escape the beam of pure power Odin released from Gungnir. The two began to fight and it was clearly the cue for everyone else to begin fighting again as well. Thor made to enter the fray but stopped suddenly, looking back to Jane.

"I'll stay here." She assured him, having no intention of entering the fight with Mjölnir now back with its rightful owner. Thor smiled and could not stop himself from giving her a quick kiss before he swung Mjölnir in circles and took off flying. Jane watched as the battle unfolded, their forces having seemed to grow in strength with Odin's return. She couldn't say if the battle took minutes or hours, though she was aware of every hit Thor dished out and every one he took; her eyes rarely left him. When they did it was to seek out their friends and she was glad to see that they too were faring well. Hela's forces thinned out, and though theirs did as well, the casualties were much heavier for their enemies until finally only Hela herself remained. She was clearly injured as Odin stood before her, both of his sons flanking him on either side as the Asgadian warriors and Avengers stood nearby.

"If this is the part where you tell me to surrender and you'll show mercy, allow me to save you time." She seethed even as she struggled to stand, the battle having taken much out of her. She sent a burst of power, not at them, but towards Jane. It was a low blow and Jane gasped as it took her by surprise, closing her eyes and waiting to it to hit. However, the blast never reached her for while she had not been expecting it, others obviously had been. Both Steve and Fandral moved quickly to block the attack physically, though it was unnecessary as Wanda used her power to stop it in midair. Jane opened her eyes to find herself with an Asgardian and Avenger guard on either side of her and watched as Wanda sent the blast back to Hela. The de facto goddess of death did not stop there though, and quickly launched on the attack once more. Odin, Thor and Loki were ready for her, however, each one of them sending their own power shooting towards her. The attack of the three powerful beings at once was too much for her in her weakened state and Hela met her end, exploding into nothingness. There was silence for a moment as everyone's brain caught up with their eyes, until finally a great cheer went up from the Asgardians; such exuberance apparently how they marked victory in battle. It didn't take much for the Avengers to join in though, nor for Jane who could not stop herself from throwing an arm around both Fandral and Steve and pulling them into a group hug.

"You did it!" Jane tried not to jump up and down like a hyper pre-teen but it was tough given the absolute joy and relief she was feeling.

"I do believe _we_ did it, my lady." Fandral corrected.

"He's right." Steve agreed. "Well then you ready?"

"Ready for what?" Jane asked and got her answer when Steve picked her up and jumped off the balcony. She tried not to scream but it was futile and Cap looked far too pleased with himself.

"I told you never to do that again." She snapped when he placed her back on her feet.

"I know." He was not at all repentant and it showed; clearly her reaction to sudden free fall amused him as much now as it had during the battle for New York.

"Jane, are you alright?" Thor was by her side instantly, checking her over for injuries and smiling when he realized why she had screamed.

"It's not funny!" She grumbled. He tried to look serious but failed and she allowed him his chuckle; after all that had happened he deserved it. He found himself cut off though when he suddenly found his arms full with his girlfriend and his lips otherwise occupied, though he was certainly not complaining.

"I'm so glad you're alright." She murmured when they pulled apart, thankfully before Tony could begin making inappropriate comments.

"I died a thousand deaths seeing you appear on the battlefield." She couldn't tell if he had purposefully said that or if it was just his usual Asgardian way of speaking, though she couldn't find it in herself to care. "And holding Mjölnir…I don't understand how…?"

"Neither do I." She admitted. "One minute I'm standing on the balcony as Stephen played with time – can't say _that's_ a sentence I ever thought I'd say – and the next thing I know I'm in _freaking space_ witnessing a planetary nebula! Then a voice spoke to me like it was coming from…everywhere, not just my head, and Mjölnir appears from within the dying star. Then I was back here."

"I'm guessing hearing voices _isn't_ common on Asgard?" Clint asked, seeing Thor's face.

"No…"

"There is only one who could have overruled the power of the Time Stone, transported you through the cosmos, returned Mjölnir, and spoken to you as if from on high." Odin joined in the conversation. "The One-Above-All."

"Seriously?" Asked Tony. "The _One-Above-All_? What kind of name is that? Sounds like something a kid came up with in the playground-"

"But this is not a game, Stark!" Said Thor. "Your people thought us Asgardians gods, but there is only one."

"The One-Above-All is said to be responsible for the existence of all life." Loki joined in. "Every single living entity in the multiverse is his creation."

"Loki speaks true. The One-Above-All has no other name for it is not needed. He rules all realities, his power is supreme in all the multiverse, and even I, gifted with great power though I am, cannot begin to conceive of such levels of power. Tis a humbling thought indeed to consider how much greater a being he must be, compared to all of his creations combined." Odin explained. "He has never before been seen in a physical form, and the number of people he has spoken to are few and far between. We primarily hear of him indirectly, as he commands the Living Tribunal, the final judge, who has the power to enforce his will upon any who seek to disturb that which he has deemed to be."

"Hold on a second." Bruce – who'd joined the group mere moments ago with Natasha after she'd helped him return to being human – said. "If this One-Above-All commands…well everything…and even has a judge to carry out his will, then why did he let this happen? Why let Hela escape? Why not deal with Thanos now before he can come here and hurt anyone else?"

"Because he doesn't know what's going to happen." Jane was deep in thought. "Or at least he hasn't decided." They all looked to her for an explanation. "Just before I returned here he said good luck and 'perhaps things will end differently than I thought after all.' "

"Then he has chosen a side." Thor exclaimed. "The One-Above-All has seen Thanos' defeat and is helping us. Our victory is assured!"

"No." Loki shot him down. "Your mortal is right, brother. He has not decided. If he told her that 'perhaps things will be different than he thought' then he saw Thanos' victory, not ours."

"I'd say the future isn't set in stone, that there's always a chance, but with this One-Above-All it seems the future has been decided." Said Steve.

"But that's just it." Jane continued. "It _hasn't_ been decided. We have free will. He may have created us, and he may govern us, but he wouldn't need a judge if he controlled our every move because our every move would be his and would never go against the way he's determined things to be. Something we did, something we chose to do, changed things enough to make him re-think the future, to make him think that perhaps Thanos shouldn't win."

"Then why return Mjölnir if he has not decided in our favour?" Thor asked.

"It is a test. To see if we are worthy." Answered Loki. " 'Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.' " He looked to Odin. "Those were the words you spoke when you banished Thor to Midgard. Another could be worthy, and is," He motioned to Vision. "And yet another is worthy." He looked to Jane.

"Me?" She gasped, to which Loki rolled his eyes.

"For one heralded to be one of the greatest minds of Midgard you are terribly slow aren't you?"

"Loki…" Thor growled warningly.

"But you said _he_ -" Loki waved off her protest.

"I say he not as a gender requirement but out of habit and ease. The Allfather did not mean that only a man could be worthy of Mjölnir, nor do we know if the One-Above-All is male or female, or even if he – it – has a gender. The point, is that he saw something in you, something that made you worthy, not simply to wield the hammer, but to _survive_. Lord knows he has seen the worst the nine realms has to offer-"

"Including yourself?" Natasha couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, including me." He glared at the interruption but said no more. "He has seen the worst and no doubt deemed us unworthy of victory, unworthy to survive and so Thanos' rule would be better. But in you, Jane Foster, he saw the other side of the coin and returned Mjölnir to give us our best chance. That is all we have now. The One-Above-All has given us a chance. No more, no less."

"You are very perceptive today, Loki." Odin said, staring at his troublesome son with that gaze that seemed to stare right through you.

"It is hard not to be…after so much time in your shoes." He said with a sigh. Loki's apparent remorse took them aback, but it would have to wait.

"Come, all of you, there is much to discuss." Odin's command was swift and none dared disobey him. He led his sons, Jane, Heimdall, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, the Avengers as well as Stephen and Wong – who suspected they would soon be recruited for Earth's super hero team – off the battlefield and up to where the palace used to stand. Although nearly completely destroyed, there was still enough left standing for Odin to find his way. There were also places Hela's destructive power had not gotten to.

"The weapons vault." Thor breathed, seeing them fully in tact, each of the relics still safely in their place.

"Great power protects the vaults." Odin was not at all surprised they still stood. "There has to be, to contain such relics."

"But the Frost Giants…" Thor stopped himself, not wanting to bring up that topic again.

"Entered through stealth, not strength. Two beings entering the vaults on foot would not be enough to trigger the protective enchantments. Thus the Destroyer." Thor nodded and Odin came to a stop before the grate that housed the very Destroyer he spoke of. He turned to face the group at large and everyone grew silent, waiting for him to speak.

"You all fought bravely today. I am proud of all of you." He began and even those who knew him only as Asgard's King swelled up at his praise. "Thor was correct that Ragnarok has come to pass. What he did not know is that it has come to pace once before, and will no doubt come to pass again. The Realm Eternal will always remain, and like before, you will rebuild and Asgard will be stronger for it. So long as Thanos is defeated." He banged Gungnir on the ground and the grate behind him opened, though no Destroyer emerged. "There is only one circumstance for which Asgard _can_ fall for good, and that is if the source of its power is kept from it." Even Thor and Loki had no idea what he spoke of and followed him down the passage with trepidation. The blinding light faded eventually and they emerged in a small circular chamber with two spires in the centre and a glowing orange stone between them. "The Soul Stone, the sixth and final Infinity Stone, has been housed in Asgard since the beginning. It was entrusted to us by the One-Above-All and has been guarded closely by Asgard's Kings. No one, save the current King of Asgard has ever set foot in this chamber."

"Allfather, you honour us." Sif murmured, she and the other Asgardians, Thor and Loki included, bowing their heads in reverence.

"Why now then?" Asked Steve.

"Thanos is coming for all six Infinity Stones. Asgard's King alone will not be enough to protect it in the war to come, but protected it must be. The Soul Stone's power lies in touching a person's soul. All it does comes from within you, whether it grants you access to powers you did not know you had, or torments your soul, destroying you from within. Throughout history, the Soul Stone has touched each and every Asgardian. It is what makes us who we are, and through the people has maintained the Realm Eternal."

"This is the power you were absorbing." Jane spoke up. "You said that as King as Asgard you draw power directly from Asgard itself. This, the Soul Stone, is that power."

"Yes. The Allfather is connected to Asgard, and subsequently to the Soul Stone. It is what has allowed us to guard it so well." He replied before turning back to the group as a whole. "It is because of the Soul Stone that our victory today was as easy as it was."

" _That_ was easy?" Scott muttered, though he was ignored.

"At my command, the Soul Stone touched each of you today and enhanced your abilities and determination to succeed. That is one way the stone can be used. But as I said, it is not the only one. If the Soul Stone is ever taken from this chamber and not returned swiftly, Asgard will wilt, and the Realm Eternal will be no more."

"Keep the glowing orange rock where it is. Got it." Tony saluted.

"You joke, Tony Stark, but it is not just the end of Asgard that will result if Thanos get his hands on the Soul Stone." Odin's gaze had Tony shrinking back, something which would usually be cause for teasing and even celebration, but not this time. "The Soul Stone is the most powerful of all the Infinity Stones for the others could not exist without it. Even the One-Above-All could not exist, or create what he does, without a soul of his own; this stone was created first, the others followed. Should Thanos gain the Soul Stone the others will become mere rocks in any hands that would fight him. He would use this stone to destroy all those against him from within, and would not only render you unable to use the Time Stone or Mind Stone," He motioned to Stephen and Vision as examples. "But would render their power to nothing, leaving him unopposed in his destruction of all." Silence followed only to be broken by someone not unexpected.

"Keep the glowing orange rock where it is. Got it." Tony said once more, though this time with a complete lack of sarcasm. Odin looked to each and every one of them, seeing in them the truth of his words, and the determination to do all they could to stop Thanos.

"Go." He dismissed them. "Return above, see to your wounds. You shall be returned you home shortly." Thor, Loki, the other Asgardians, and even Jane bowed before they turned to leave, though three were called back. "Thor, Loki, Jane…stay." When the others had disappeared Odin sighed and sagged a bit against Gungnir.

"Father!" Both Thor and Loki rushed to his side, helping him gently to sit on the ground.

"I'll go get a doctor." Jane said but Odin stopped her.

"We must get you to a healer!" Said Thor.

"No…there is nothing to be done."

"What do you mean?" Loki appeared scared to ask.

"I mean that my time has come."

"Then the Odinsleep-"

"No. Listen to me." His voice brooked no argument and though they did not like it, they remained where they were and did as he asked. "I knew before entering this battle that it would be my last. That is why it took so long to join it. I absorbed every ounce of the Soul Stone's power that I could and even now it is all that keeps me alive. However, I cannot maintain its power for long, and when I can no longer do so, I shall die. Nothing shall stop it."

"Father…" Thor sounded like a lost child and Jane wrapped an arm around him in comfort, shedding her own tears. Surprisingly though, she was not the only one.

"Loki…" Odin turned to his younger son. "I am sorry for thinking the worst of you. I did not sense Thanos' power within you and-"

"Do not delude yourself into thinking he controlled me." Loki spat. " _I_ was in control when I betrayed you. When I attacked Midgard. When I betrayed you once again."

"I do not doubt that your desire to rule Asgard, your belief that we are superior to humans and that _you_ are superior to us all, is your own. However, I never once saw such cruelty in you, in _my son_ , you never had the affinity for such cruelty before, and yet I still believed the worst of you. Were it not for Thanos, I believe things would have been very different. Perhaps you would still have tried to take the throne from Thor, but not at such a cost."

"And now you believe me changed?"

"I believe Thanos' hold on you has greatly weakened and you have regained some of who you once you."

"How-"

"You call me father. You have not done so in years." All three could see tears welling in his eye, a fact that surprised Thor and Loki for they'd never seen their father cry. They supposed that now he was dying, now that he did not have to be the great Allfather, he had nothing to hide; and Loki could see easily the love Odin had for him. "Whatever your heritage you are Loki _Odinson_. Any plans I may have had when I took you from Jotunheim died the moment your mother and I held you and together decided to raise you as our own." Odin raised a shaky hand and brought it to rest against Loki's face, and the younger son was unable to stop himself from leaning into it, basking in what little comfort his father could offer. "I love you, my son."

 _And I you._ He used his power and spoke to Odin alone, even now unable to bring himself to say the words out loud. Still Odin smiled and knew that although things with Loki were far from fixed, he had made peace with his son. Having spoken to one child, Odin turned to Thor who was unabashedly crying.

"Thor Odinson, my heir, my first born," These words did not bring hatred to Loki as they had the last time they had been spoken all those years ago, making Loki wonder if Odin was right and he was becoming the man he used to be. "You said not long ago that you could not be king, for you could never truly understand rule and the brutality and sacrifice that comes with it." Somehow neither Thor nor Loki were surprised that Odin knew what had been said in the conversation between them after Odin had been banished and Loki sat on Asgard's throne in Odin's form. "Do you still believe that to be true?"

"I…I do not know." Thor couldn't think beyond his grief.

"I think you know exactly what it means to rule. Has that not been what you have been doing these last years, save without a throne to sit upon? You place the nine realms before yourself, and have proven time and time again that you would lay down your life if it meant protecting the innocent. Being Allfather for so long I had forgotten that great shows of power and strength were not always necessary. That inviting the enemy inside our gates so as to not show fear is not always better then running to fight elsewhere. You were right that day against Malekith. And you will be right the next time too."

"You command me to take the throne?"

"I can command the King of Asgard nothing. Like it or not that is what you will become by right of birth the moment I take my last breath. It will be your decision where to go from there. Whether you relinquish the throne to another or remain king will be your decision alone." His gaze shifted to Jane and he amended his last statement. "Or perhaps not your decision alone, but a decision to make with the woman you love."

"It is not that simple, father."

"I know you speak of her mortality. In return, I offer this." Calling on what little magic he had left, Odin waved his hand and an apple appeared before him. "The Apple of Yggdrasil, also known as the Golden Apple. They are plentiful and yet scarce, for their power is great but is always there when needed. I told you how Thor was not the first Asgardian to love a mortal." He spoke now directly to Jane, though he knew his words would greatly affect Thor too. "In most cases the Asgardian seeks permission to live out the remainder of their mortal love's life on Midgard and returns when they pass on. In some other cases the mortal is offered immortality."

"What? I don't…understand…"

"My great-grandfather who loved a mortal, she came to Asgard as his Queen, and upon eating the Apple of Yggdrasil become one of us." He took Jane's hand and pressed the Apple into it. "You would be a fine Queen for Asgard, Jane Foster. If that is what you and Thor wish." Jane could not believe what she was hearing. Here she was being handed the means to stay with Thor forever without taking him from his home or his birthright. It meant everything to her, yet she could not tell what Thor wanted and knew they would discuss it later.

"Thank you." She said, leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you so much." Odin smiled softly and leaned back against the wall, closing his eye.

"Father!" Thor gasped. "Please don't go!"

"I am not long for this world, Thor, though I am not gone just yet. I know there is much you wish to say, as do I. Such is always the case with death, you remember a million things to say when time has run out."

"Well we do have the Time Stone at our disposal." Said Loki, only half joking. "We could always replay this moment." Odin chuckled, though it ended up more a wheezy cough.

"No. The Infinity Stones are not to be used lightly. Certainly not to prolong this inevitability." He opened his eye and looked to both his sons, and the woman he had no doubt would be his daughter-in-law one day; the speed of that day's arrival would be determined soon. "Whether you take the throne or not, please see that Asgard is rebuilt. It will take time, more than perhaps needed because of Thanos' threat, but one day Asgard will shine once more. This is what I ask of you both, to see this realm, my home, not only rebuilt, but become better than it was."

"Yes, father." They both whispered.

"I have no doubt you will help in any way you can, Jane. And I thank you. Not just for what you will do for Asgard, but for all you have done for my family." Jane merely smiled softly and nodded, leaning her head against Thor's shoulder. It wasn't long before Odin stopped speaking and his eye closed once more, this time never to reopen. The three remained for several minutes, but eventually knew they must leave. Thor carried Odin's body out of the chamber and back into the vault where Loki conjured a table where he would lay until they could hold a funeral. Jane clutched the Apple close, as well as held Mjölnir – proving it had not been a one time thing – and Thor saw that Loki held Gungnir. The god of mischief looked at the staff that had been his these last years, though had never truly belonged to him, and held it out to his brother, its rightful owner. Thor took it after some hesitation, suddenly realizing that while Mjölnir would always be his, Gungnir would become his companion more than his beloved hammer should he accept the throne; the staff belonging to the King of Asgard never being from his reach. The three then left the vault and found that things were well in hand. Those in need of aid were being seen to while the dead were being laid aside until their bodies could be sent to Valhalla. Work came to a stop as the three appeared atop the ruins of a building that over looked the battlefield and Heimdall was the first to sink to his knees. Seeing the Gatekeeper bow, and the well-known staff Thor held, it didn't take long for the meaning to become clear to all. Sif, Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun bowed as well, their actions being copied by all Asgardians as well as those within the nine realms that recognized Asgard's King as their overlord as well.

"Long live Thor Allfather!"

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 **A/N - Jane wielding Mjölnir kind of came about because of the comics where she becomes Thor, but I didn't want her to truly become Thor, just be worthy to wield the hammer. And yes, the One-Above-All was brought in from the comics and did return** **Mjölnir and kind of give them a helping hand, but he - it - isn't about to become a main character for the remaining couple chapters or anything.**

 **Also Loki's theory that the One-Above-All stepped in because he saw in Jane the good the multiverse has to offer, and so thinks there may be hope for them, I don't think is far off. Jane's actions have been to protect and save the multiverse, for science and understanding, as well as to be with the man she loves, none of which I see as blatantly selfish, only doing so for personal gain. Yes, her actions have gained her some fame on Earth and even some power in that regard too, but that wasn't the reason she did what she did; her heart is in the right place. Which does bring up the question why he didn't see the same thing in the Avengers who have fought to protect and save people, and the short answer is that their reasons are more mixed. Some think it their duty since they have these powers, others are (possibly were) following orders, while others are pretty selfish, or think they have to fix their mistakes, among other reasons. This doesn't mean their hearts aren't also in the right places, but there's too much else going on there as well.**

 **Review please!**


	6. The Realm Eternal

_Disclaimer: I do not own Thor, nor The Avengers or any other Marvel movie._

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 **Chapter 6 – The Realm Eternal**

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Thor returned the Avengers, Stephen and Wong to Earth as quickly as possible, largely because Tony was getting far too annoying in his mocking reverence of Thor's new status as well as his questions that they themselves didn't have answers for yet. The others were obviously curious too, but at least had enough tact not to badger them. So, instead of suffering Tony, Thor had used the Tesseract and returned them home with a promise to be in touch soon. Of course Tony couldn't leave without causing at least some shit to hit the fan and his parting question of why they were trusting Loki with the knowledge of the Soul Stone was quickly repeated by the Asgardian warriors that had been present. Thor had no good answer beyond he knew they could – he'd not been willing to divulge Odin's last words, for which Loki appeared grateful – and in the end Jane got a look at how Asgardians still revered a monarch when Thor had said enough, which his friends took as a command and were unwilling to disobey him. Thor did make it clear to Loki, however, that if he tried anything, even one of his so called pranks, Thor would send him to Thanos himself. After that assurance they all parted ways, seeing to those still in need of help before retiring for the night.

"I thought Asgard completely destroyed." Thor said as he righted a chair in his chambers. "I was sitting in this very room, unaware of anything going on until the biggest explosion I had ever seen sounded. I was blown backwards and knocked out for a moment – only a moment – though by the time I came to all of Asgard was aflame. I sought my father, discovered it was Loki and confronted Hela as the attacks continued. She destroyed Mjölnir and we escaped to the Bifrost, which was damaged though not yet destroyed, and Heimdall sent us to Earth as yet another explosion engulfed Asgard. It all happened in mere minutes, and I thought my home gone."

"Well you weren't entirely wrong." Jane wasn't exactly sure what to say and so settled for the truth, while still trying to be comforting. "The Asgard you knew is destroyed. Hell, this room alone is barely recognizable." She was right about that. Half of the room was caved in and the ceiling was completely gone, leaving them exposed to the elements. "Odin said everything would be different, and it is. But Asgard still stands. And you have a chance to see it become better than it was before, as your father asked."

"So you would have me be King." It was the topic they had previously been avoiding, but knew they couldn't any longer.

"Forget about me for a minute. What do you what? If I wasn't in the picture, what would you do?" Thor hesitated and it was answer enough for Jane. "You would stay and be Asgard's King." Thor nodded once but it was enough. "Then that makes my decision very easy." Reaching over to the cracked table she'd placed the Apple of Yggdrasil on when they'd entered the room, Jane took a bite out of it with no hesitation.

"Jane!" Thor was incredulous. "This cannot be undone!" He made to grab the Apple but she ducked under his arm and took another bite.

"Good. I'm not looking for it to be undone." She said after swallowing. "Thor, listen to me. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, however long or short that may be, and your home is here. Which means my home is here."

"What about Earth?"

"Earth is a beautiful place, but the planet itself has no hold on me. It's the people I care about. My dad, Erik, Darcy, Pepper, Steve, the other Avengers even…Tony." She grimaced in pain when she said that last name and Thor chuckled. "But we can visit them, or they can come here, I don't exactly know what the rules are about mortals coming to Asgard. And yes, it may be some time before I'll see them again, until Asgard starts getting back to normal and the Bifrost is fixed."

"Again."

"Yes, again. My point is that my life isn't on Earth. My life quickly became you, for reasons I still can't explain logically. But that's ok, I've decided just to go with it."

"But if Thanos wins-"

"Then I'll be dead either way and won't be around to miss them. But I'd miss you, more than I can say, in the months or years we have left. So if you'll have me, I want to stay here with you and help rebuild Asgard." Thor couldn't help but smile as he gathered her in his arms.

"Of course I'll have you."

"Good, cause I've already eaten half this thing, and I'd be pretty pissed if you chose now to break up with me." They both laughed, which after all they'd been through in the last several days felt good. Thor watched intently as she finished the Apple, happy to see no hesitation or regret in her eyes as she did.

"Thank you, Jane. Your love, and your sacrifice, means more to me than you can know."

"I'll accept the love part, for it's the same with me, but as I just said, there's no sacrifice in leaving Earth." Seeing she would not allow him to be serious in the matter of her leaving her home planet behind, Thor changed tactics.

"I meant your sacrifice in marrying me…and being my Queen."

"Oh…ugh… _queen._ " Her distaste was only half feigned, for it had not truly sunk in yet that staying here meant she would be Queen of Asgard. "I'm not so sure if that's what I'll be though." Thor looked both confused and worried. "I don't recall anyone, let alone a King, asking me to marry him." His worry cleared and he hung his head in shame.

"How remiss of me, my lady." The love shining in his eyes made her heart skip a beat, though she couldn't believe the cliché. "Jane Foster. I love you with all my heart. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" It was simple yet heartfelt and absolutely perfect as far as she was concerned.

"Yes. Yes!" She cried happily, throwing her arms around his neck, laughing as he swung her around. When he finally set her on her feet again he could see the glint in her eyes and knew her joking mood wasn't over. "We are going to have to work on your romancing skills though. I mean, a proposal in a wrecked room, right after a battle while we're still covered in dirt, sweat and blood? Not exactly romantic."

"Wench!" He growled playfully and threw her over his shoulder. "Cease your prattling and attend your king!"

"Oho! It's like that is it?" She asked as he dropped her onto his bed, which whether through luck or fate had sustained no more damage than a broken leg.

"Indeed." He hovered over her and Jane could feel the heat building between them. "As your king and husband it is your duty to attend to my every need." Jane raised an eyebrow and he merely smirked. "Just as it is my duty to attend your every need as my queen and wife."

"Hmm…better."

 **-/-**

The following few months left very little time to relax. Two days after Hela was defeated the funeral for Odin and all those that had perished took place, after which work began on rebuilding Asgard. Although the realm itself had not been destroyed, there was very little of the old Asgard that could be reused. Most buildings had to be fully torn down and rebuilt rather than simply repaired. Many Asgardians had also lost their lives, leaving fewer hands to help. Realms such as Vanaheim offered assistance as well as relief in the form of food, water and medicine, which was also sorely lacking, and with their help the rebuilding steadily continued. On top of this was the endeavour to rebuild the Bifrost. Loki spent most of his time working on this with Heimdall as he had discovered quickly that the Gatekeeper was one of the few who trusted him enough to be anywhere near him. Jane was another such person and with her work as an astrophysicist her knowledge was invaluable. There was also one additional event taking place at the same time which neither Thor nor Jane thought necessary, though both conceded to: their wedding and coronation. The announcement that they were to be married had not been unexpected, though the interest in their wedding at a time like this was. Several ladies of the court that had survived approached them not one month after the battle about planning the events. They claimed that now that enough time had passed for things to settle somewhat, the people needed something to look forward to and bolster their spirits and the wedding and coronation of the new Allfather was just what the people needed as far as they were concerned. At first they'd said no, not wanting time and resources to be put on such a trivial event, but when word got out that it was happening and excitement grew all around they caved and let the ladies – some of whom had been dear friends of Frigga's – free reign to plan whatever they wanted.

"A representative from each of the nine realms that recognize Asgard's King as their overlord will then offer tribute to the new Allfather." Sif finished her explanation of the customs and traditions of an Asgardian coronation. It was all completely foreign to Jane, whose only experience with coronations was watching a video of Queen Elizabeth II's, and this one would be nothing like that, least of all because there wasn't ever actually a crown involved. Asgardian formal dress consisted of armour and elaborate helmets that even the King wore, while the Queen, she'd been told, had numerous elaborate gowns and even occasionally headdresses; some things, at least, appeared to be the same in any realm.

"Do you think I can do this?" Jane asked suddenly. The question brought Sif up short.

"My lady, it is not for me to-"

"Oh come on, Sif, don't give me that crap." She said, taking a seat on the steps leading up to the throne. Thor's throne. The throne room had been one of the first to be completed as it would be the site of the first celebration in this new Asgard. "You've been reserved around me for months, but you've never lied to me. Please tell me what you really think." She could see the moment when Sif decided to screw any courtly behaviour.

"I think you will be unlike any queen Asgard has ever seen." She answered as she took a seat next to Jane. "Aside from Thor's great-great-grandmother every queen has been of Asgard and they were born and raised to the position. None alive today lived during the time of Asgard's only other mortal-born queen but from what we can determine she barely had to acclimatize, having been of Midgardian nobility and our realms' societies having been much closer back then. But you…you came from a realm vastly different than ours and possess few of the qualities we have come to associate with Asgard's Queen."

"Gee, thanks."

"I think that is exactly what we need. While it is important to maintain traditions, we cannot do so at the expense of progress or we would be stuck in time. While unlike any queen we have ever had, I think you will be brilliant. So yes, to answer your question, I do think you can do this." Jane stared at Sif for a moment and then smiled.

"Thank you for your honesty, Sif. Now was that so hard? Talking to me as a friend, rather than your soon-to-be queen?"

"You wish us to be friends?" She seemed uncertain.

"Well…yes. You are important to Thor, and for that reason alone you're important to me too. Though I would like it if we could be friends, truly, and not simply for Thor." Sif both relaxed and stiffened at once, her brows furrowing as she spoke.

"I admit I was unsure how you would feel about me. Not only have Thor and I have been friends for a long time, but I thought perhaps you had heard that the Allfather, Odin that is, had…looked to me for Thor's wife, when he sought to turn Thor away from you."

"He did?"

"You didn't know…" Sif sighed, clearly berating herself.

"No, but I'm certainly not angry about it. I'm not even that surprised."

"Truly?" Jane nodded.

"When I first met Thor I read up on Norse mythology, the myths us mortals have about you all. In more than one incarnation of the myths they name you as Thor's wife." Sif was clearly surprised. "The fact that there is some truth to the myths, even if it only happened after I came into the picture and never went anywhere, does not surprise me."

"You are far more gracious than many, my-Jane." She said after a moment. "Most women I know would be offended by my mere presence, regardless that, as you say, it never went anywhere." Jane couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Yeah…that's just plain stupid. And a very antiquated thought."

"For you perhaps." Sif laughed. "It seems that no matter how much more advanced we are, and consider ourselves to be compared to those of Midgard, our society is quite stuck in the past in many ways."

"Apparently so. You said that most of Asgard's queens were born and raised to the position. Would those women have been arranged to marry Asgard's Kings?"

"Yes. Even King Odin and Queen Frigga's marriage was arranged. We were honestly surprised that they had not arranged something for Thor. Or Loki. May I take it that such arrangements are not common on Midgard?"

"Not anymore. It's been a few centuries since arranged marriages were common actually."

"Stuck in the past indeed." Sif muttered. The two lapsed into silence for a moment, only broken by Jane when she could not contain her question any longer.

"Are women subjugated on Asgard?"

"I beg your pardon?" Sif asked, surprised.

"It's just that it seems Asgardian society is stuck in the medieval or renaissance era and women were very much…property of their fathers and husbands at that time. There's so many similarities – arranged marriages, being born and raised to be a wife, you being the only female warrior and being very much a novelty – that I couldn't help but wonder." Sif thought about her answer before she responded.

"You are not wrong that women occupy very traditionally female roles. Many are raised to be wives and mothers, they are taught to cook and clean and run a household, but they are not forced into it. Their opinions are not only heard, but actively sought. They are educated as much as men, some of our best scholars are women; no one thinks education wasted on a woman as was a common thought on Midgard. When I decided I wished to be a warrior I was not laughed at, nor told it was not a woman's place. Certainly I had to prove myself and had all of Asgard watching, but it was simply because it had never been done before, not because they expected me to fail because of my gender. Throughout our history no woman before me has _wanted_ to be a warrior. Or if they have they never pursued it."

"What more aren't you saying?" Sif sighed.

"While no man would think to deny a woman any opportunity she wished, our society is patriarchal. Women do defer to their fathers and husbands, and in many cases obey them even if they do not truly wish to. Queen Frigga was told she would marry Odin; she was not given a choice, and as far as I am aware she never fought it, though I know not if she wished to."

"That's…absurd!" Jane ground out. "And confusing. How could women not be denied opportunity and yet still be expected to obey the men in their lives? What if Frigga had wanted to do something else with her life? Did she just give up her dream because she knew her father would put his foot down and force her to marry Odin regardless? And if that's true then how is that not denying her opportunity? One contradicts the other."

"You are correct, and I fear I will not explain it adequately. I know that my own father, had he lived, would likely have arranged my marriage long ago and I would have respected his wishes on the matter. Yet I know also that if I truly did not wish to marry whomever he chose, that he would not force the marriage on me. I know not how to explain it better."

"I'm sorry about your father."

"He died long ago in battle." Sif waved her apology off, having come to terms with his death many years ago. "He expected much of me and I respected his decisions, rarely going against him. When I told him I wished to be a warrior like he was he encouraged me. Said it had never been done, but he knew I could do it. I suppose respect of how our society works is the best way to describe it. Women respect men and that they are essentially the decision makers, while men equally respect women and that they run things and make them happen."

"Yet they're weak and must be 'protected' under a man's thumb." Jane grumbled.

"Yes and no. Women are protected, but they are not seen as weak simply because they are woman. I do not know how else to explain this."

"Will Thor expect me to obey him like that?" The thought suddenly struck her. "As my 'king and husband' – words he's already used, though I thought he was only joking – will he try and dictate my life and expect me to obey him?"

"Oh, I do not think Thor expects any such thing." Sif laughed, almost predatorily. "He knows well that you will not obey him simply because he is your husband, regardless that our society often operates that way. I think if anything he is somewhat afraid of you, and I know you will have him well in hand. And if he ever does anything you do not like, simply send him to the training field and I shall thrash him soundly for you." Jane joined in the laughter and was glad they had cleared the air and would obviously get along well.

 **-/-**

A few days later Jane stood alongside Thor in the most beautiful dress she had ever seen, let alone worn, as the two were married and officially crowned King and Queen before all of Asgard. The ceremony did indeed lift the people's spirits and so it was worth every uncomfortable moment for the two new monarchs. This held doubly true when they saw that it further helped ease the people's ill feelings towards Loki. Asgard's fallen prince maintained that they should not trust him and that everything he had done was of his own volition, even as he continued to work towards restoring Asgard. Neither had forgotten what Odin had said, that Thanos had been influencing Loki. Thor took that excuse and all but ran with it, having missed his brother terribly while Jane was more reserved, though could not find it in her heart to continue to place the full blame on Loki. Although things were not settled where he was concerned, Loki's actions since Hela's defeat had proven that at least some of his actions – the worst of them, they had no doubt – had not been his own but had been commanded by Thanos. Loki had stood and supported his brother and new sister-in-law alongside Lady Sif and the Warriors Three in the same spot he had stood those years ago on the day Thor was originally supposed to have been crowned king. His clear acceptance of Thor's new position as Allfather, and the lack of mischief to disrupt the proceedings, did much to soften the people's hearts towards him, though they were still weary.

After the joint wedding and coronation the reconstruction of Asgard continued, and it was not a quick or easy task. The buildings themselves were the easiest to see rebuilt and gave them the least problems, though the relief they brought was not a small one. With the completion of each building, what remained of Asgard's people had homes once more, as well as healing centres, schools and centres of assembly and commerce. On the outside life returned to normal relatively quickly, all things considered. However, it would be no small task to return Asgard to what it once was inside the people's hearts, and in the eyes of the multiverse. Asgard had once been a shining beacon of hope, the Realm Eternal – a utopia – where dwelled the peacekeepers of the multiverse. Asgard could no longer fill that role, as they had neither army nor Bifrost to keep the peace anywhere but on Asgard itself. Thor's greatest fear with the Bifrost's destruction was that the marauders and bandits that had taken the opportunity of its last destruction to attack other realms, knowing that Asgard could not come to their aid, would do so again, and that war would once again break out. Thankfully his fears proved unfounded, for as Heimdall reported, the other realms were keeping their own peace and not allowing such beings to gain foothold once again.

The reconstruction of the Bifrost itself was difficult, though would not take the near three years it had the last time. Previously they had had to find out exactly how the Bifrost had originally been constructed, that information having been lost to them centuries ago for the Bifrost had stood much longer than that. This time they already had that information and so it was simply a question of actually rebuilding it; though simple could certainly not be a word to describe their task. Given the Bifrost's power and the magic within it, it had taken a great deal of Odin's power to rebuild, power that was now technically Thor's, though he knew not how to fully wield it yet. Loki and Jane helped where they could. Loki being able to add his magic to Thor's, while Jane used her expertise where possible, and otherwise took care of Asgard, allowing Thor to concentrate fully on the Bifrost when needed. After having been crowned Queen and becoming one of them thanks to the Apple of Yggdrasil, Jane had found that the people had been quite accepting of her and often sought her out as they once had Frigga. Sif and the ladies of the court were a great help to her in the early days, helping her both appear and act the queen she was. She discovered that unlike in Earth's royal courts of the past where jealousy often reigned and plots abounded, the people of Asgard did not hold such pettiness as a rule, and so those that helped her were not doing so as a subterfuge, with the hope of humiliating or destroying her. Although the majority of people were sincere in their professed desire to help her succeed, there were always the exceptions, and a few young ladies who had all once sought Thor's attentions continued to do so in the most blatant manner. Jane did not grow jealous though, and found it quite amusing, especially when Thor grew embarrassed and blushed profusely as he tried – yet again – to gently turn them down, though she tried to hide her amusement and appear jealous. The first time this had happened, Thor had thought her jealous and apologized profusely afterwards, swearing to her that she was it for him and he did not even look at those women. The following bout of lovemaking as Thor tried to make it up to her was quite something and Jane had quickly learned that each time those women threw themselves at Thor, similar lovemaking would follow and so for that reason alone she did not clue her husband in to her true feelings; though recently she began to suspect he knew and said nothing for the exact same reason as her. Given all their bedroom activities it shouldn't have come as a surprise when Jane found out she was pregnant.

"But I'm on the…pill…" She murmured to herself when the healer informed her of her condition. Only that wasn't exactly true. With how busy they were and everything that was going on Jane had not remembered the birth control since coming to Asgard.

"Pill?" The healer asked, unfamiliar with that term.

"It's a form of birth control…that has to be taken everyday." She mentally chastised herself.

"Ah. Such primitive forms of preventing conception are quite unreliable, my Queen. Had we known you and the Allfather did not wish for a child quite yet, we could have offered a much better alternative." Jane was momentarily stunned by how casually the healer spoke of birth control, and she was reminded yet again of how different Asgard was to Earth. Birth control was often seen as a taboo topic on Earth even in the 21st century, let alone in the time when kings and queens reigned and the entire kingdom was looking for signs of an heir. Such looks which Jane had not felt herself subject to.

"It's not your fault. As you said you didn't know."

"May I offer my congratulations then?" The question was tentative, as if she wasn't sure if Jane was happy about it or not.

"Yes, thank you, I just…why now?" She asked. "It's been just over a year and we haven't taken any precautions, so why now?"

"I cannot entirely say, my Queen." She replied. "Even to us some things are just not fully understood and this is one of them I fear. Sometimes these things simply take time. Though in your case it may also have to do with the changes in your body since eating the Apple. We may look similar to Midgard's humans, and indeed there are many similarities in our genetic makeup, but still we are not human." Jane nodded, quietly, murmuring her thanks, and the healer took this as a dismissal, leaving Jane to her thoughts.

"So…I'm to be an uncle." After a year of such sudden interruptions from out of nowhere, Jane no longer jumped when Loki spoke and made himself visible, though she did glare quite fiercely.

"What have I told you about spying like that?"

"No to." There was no remorse in his smile, and Jane wondered why she even bothered.

"Don't you dare say a thing to Thor." She threatened. Such threats used to simply amuse him, but since his – at least partial – change of heart and her becoming Queen, they not only amused him, but he took them at least somewhat seriously.

"I wouldn't spoil it for him. Not in this." He still enjoyed playing with his brother, but some things you did not play around with.

"So why are you spying on me this time?" Jane asked as she accepted his help down from the examination table.

"Why sister, one would think you didn't want me here." He chuckled at her glare. "I've been sent to collect you. Sif requires your help, though with what I do not know." Sif had been the last to accept him back as a Prince of Asgard, and even still did not fully trust him. Loki found it amusing and loved to rile her up. The two had developed an antagonistic relationship so vastly different from how they treated everyone else that it had become a form of entertainment to watch the two of them go at it. Whenever she saw them together Jane was remembered of an old Earth saying that there was a fine line between love and hate, and indeed there was a certain attraction between the two, though they would never admit it. Sif, who'd become a close friend, spoke often of her dislike of Loki, and though Jane often wished to bring up the attraction she saw, she knew better, least of all because it would no doubt cause Sif to storm off; Jane knew her well enough by now to know that even if Sif ever admitted to being attracted to Loki she'd never let anything happen until Thanos was defeated and they truly saw where Loki's loyalties lay.

"She is in the library, again. Would you like my escort? Or may I return to my duties?"

"Go, I'll be fine." Loki offered a small bow as had become his custom – though Jane noticed they became less and less condescending as time wore on – and took off in the opposite direction. Since the library had been returned to its former glory, what was left of it at least, Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg had spent a great deal of time there looking up all they could on the multiverse and its inhabitants, specifically those that they would most likely be fighting against when Thanos finally launched his assault. As Earth was likely to be the battleground given it was home to two Infinity Stones and was the planet to cause Thanos a great deal of trouble, Jane was often sought out for her insight into her home world.

"What is this I hear about a celebratory feast this evening?" Thor asked some hours later and he joined his wife and friends in the library. He nodded to his friends when they stood and bowed before him, having long ago given up on asking them not to, and bent to kiss his wife.

"What celebratory feast?" She asked.

"The one I was just informed we're having. The kitchens are chaos given the short notice; I nearly had my head bit off when I went down to ask for a snack just now." Jane looked confused, having not ordered such a feast and knowing that only Asgard's royal family could do so. Realization dawned and her expression turned murderous.

"LOKI!" She bellowed as she never had before. They all looked around expecting the mischievous Prince to appear before them, though he wisely stayed away. "I'm going to kill him!" Jane muttered darkly as she stalked from the room intent on butchering herself a brother-in-law.

"Jane!" Thor called as he ran after her. "What is wrong? Yes, if Loki ordered it he should have told you, but it is only a feast."

"It's not the feast, it's what we're supposed to be celebrating." She realized too late the corner she'd backed herself into when he asked what it was they were celebrating; she knew that after her reaction he would not give up until he got the answer out of her. Stopping as they reached a crossroads in the palace's many corridors, Jane changed direction and led Thor to their chambers.

"This isn't how I wanted to tell you." She said when they were safely behind closed doors. "Actually I don't know how to tell you even now…"

"Jane, you need not be frightened." He came forward and grasped her hands, the gesture comforting him as well as his worry increased seeing that she actually was frightened about something. "Whatever it is we shall deal with it together. Please do not be frightened." His words held so much concern that Jane couldn't help but feel her heart melt a little and decided then and there to just tell him.

"I'm pregnant." She said after a minute, having still had to work up the courage to say the words out loud. Thor stared dumbfounded for a moment before a bright smile broke out on his face and he took her into his arms, spinning her around as he laughed with joy.

"A child! Truly we're to have a child?" He asked when he finally set her back down.

"Yes. The healer confirmed it today." Her own smile was bright at his reaction and she felt a great weight lift from her shoulders. "I know we never talked about kids before-"

"I am thrilled." He cut her off. Suddenly his expression became worried once more. "If you are, that is?" It was a question she was happy to answer.

"I am. Knowing you are, I absolutely am. I was just worried how you'd take it." Thor smiled and gathered her in his arms once more, this time merely holding her there, though he could not stop his hand from drifting down to rest over her belly where their child grew; Jane placing her hand atop his.

"Wait…Loki knows?" The thought just hit him. "This is why you were angry with him? He knows about our child. He knew before I did?" He seemed put out and Jane assured him he was the first person she told.

"He came to get me and when he saw I was with the healer decided it was a good idea to spy on me." Thor rolled his eyes, well aware of his brother's penchant to use his magic to make himself invisible. Even though he wasn't surprised, Thor still swore to get his brother back given what information it was he'd been privy to.

"So the feast is to celebrate our child." Jane nodded, her face twisting into a look of distaste.

"God, I'm going to have to thank him."

"Why?"

"Because somehow he knew that I was worried about your reaction and knew that I would brood and put off telling you, making it worse for myself. By calling for a feast he forced my hand and stopped that from happening."

"Don't thank him." Thor answered easily as he began to lead the way out of their chambers. "I intend to hit him over the head actually, for spying on such a moment."

"Fair enough." Jane laughed. "Where are we going?"

"Back to the library, to tell our friends. You know Sif would never forgive us if she only found out when all of Asgard did."  
"Volstagg would be likely to pout for days." Jane agreed. As they expected their friends were happy for them, as were their people when they found out later that evening. Loki only finally made an appearance at the feast and accepted his brother's physical reprimand as well as Jane's silent thanks. The news of a child and heir spread like wildfire and buoyed the people's spirits for weeks to come. Gifts began arriving at the palace and Jane found herself the centre of attention, receiving both wanted and unsolicited advice from the ladies who deemed it their duty to help the first-time mother. She also found herself rarely alone. She'd gotten used to having people around often when she'd become Queen, but this was different for it appeared she now had a constant guard, one she had no doubt her husband had set without telling her. The only thing that made the guard bearable was that it was either Loki or one of their friends who were constantly by her side, though Loki was her most frequent companion, having taken her protection and care to heart since discovering she carried his niece or nephew. The only thing that would make Jane's joy complete would be if she could share it with her father and friends on Earth. Something which she was thrilled to find out might be possible as the Bifrost was nearing completion.

* * *

 **A/N - Asgard as a society intrigues me given how advanced they are compared to humans, and yet at the same time they also seem to be stuck in the past in many ways. Women in Asgardian society was one topic that really interested me and this is the way I kind of see it. In _Thor_ it's mentioned that no one thought a young maiden could be a warrior, that, and the very use of the word maiden, tells us that women in Asgard do occupy a more traditional role even though their society is supposed to be far more advanced than ours. However, I didn't want them to just be completely stuck in the past in this regard and so went more with the idea that women do occupy more traditional roles, but not because they're forced to. Asgardian women both accept and allow themselves to be put in these roles and for their society to very much remain a patriarchal one; however, if there are those, like Sif, who want to do something else with their life they are not told they can't, nor are they looked down on or any such thing. In short, it's by choice that Asgardian society continues on kind of stuck in the past and its fully acceptable for people to choose to break that mold. **

**As for Loki...no, he's not suddenly turned good after being a villain for so long, but I never felt that he's this truly evil person he's painted to be. Like he said last chapter, it is himself, and not an outside force, that has him thinking he's the rightful king, that humans are beneath Asgardians, that everyone is beneath him, etc., etc. However, as Odin said, killing everyone and not caring about the cost so long as he gets what he wants, isn't something that comes from within Loki, that's where Thanos' influence comes from. I just want to make it clear that he does occupy this grey area (albeit usually a darker grey) and isn't purely dark.**

 **One chapter to go!**

 **Review please!**


	7. Asgard to Earth

_Disclaimer: I do not own Thor, nor The Avengers or any other Marvel movie._

* * *

 **Chapter 7 – Asgard to Earth**

* * *

The Bifrost opened much to the Avengers' excitement, having neither seen nor heard from the final member of their team in almost two years. The power surge so close to the facility had caused their systems to go haywire and all of them to rush to the scene, initially thinking the worst until they recognized the flow of power for what it was. However, it was not Thor who greeted them when the Bifrost was turned off, but four beings they'd fought with against Hela, though which only one of them truly knew.

"Sif." Coulson greeted the Asgardian warrior.

"Son of Coul." She greeted in return.

"Thor not with you?"

"No, we come as guards to another." She said unhappily. "Allow me to introduce the Warriors Three, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg, three of the finest warriors in the nine realms."

"Nice to meet you." Coulson replied. "If not Thor then who?" Sif frowned and directed her words to someone realms away.

"Heimdall all is safe." Once again the Bifrost opened and the four Asgardians stepped aside and bowed their heads, paying deference to whoever was arriving. The Avengers watched with interest as the energy that allowed for travel between realms shut off to reveal a short, very familiar, brunette.

"Janie!" Tony cried, rushing forward to hug her, only to be stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder.

"No longer." Fandral spoke up, a sharp edge to his voice. "Allow me to present the Queen of Asgard, Queen Jane."

"Yes, thank you Fandral." She replied with an unqueenly eye roll, moving forward out of the Bifrost's circle while he bowed with a respectful murmur of "My Queen."

"It's so good to see you all again." She said, unbidden tears gathering in her eyes. Although Fandral had stopped Tony from initiating contact, he did not stop Jane when she all but ran the few steps towards her friends and pulled them into a group hug, Tony included. They were all present, from those who had been there from the start of the Avengers to those who had helped with Ultron, and even those she did not know had joined, such as King T'Challa.

"Woah!" Steve exclaimed when Jane's hug brought him closer to her. He stepped back immediately and looked her up and down in shock. Jane let out a little laugh, knowing exactly what he had felt and nodded in confirmation.

"Ok, what's going on between you two?" Natasha asked. In response Jane smoothed down her voluminous dress and smiled when their eyes were drawn to her belly. Jane was almost into her third trimester by now and given her petite stature she looked more pregnant than she was, though the healers assured her the baby had a great deal more growing to do.

"Yeah didn't see that coming." Tony said as she shoved Clint forwards.

"What are you doing?" He demanding.

"You have kids." Tony explained.

"So…what? I'm the only one who can be near a pregnant woman?" Tony nodded and Clint rolled his eyes.

"I believe congratulations are customary in a situation like this?" Vision asked, and Jane happily accepted his sentiments as well as the others' when they offered them up.

"So since when are you the Queen of Asgard?" Tony couldn't help but ask.

"Since I married its King. Which really shouldn't be a surprise to you." She replied and turned her attention to Steve. "What I want to know is why you're here, _how_ are you here, out in the open like this. You're not being hunted anymore?" Steve laughed darkly, something he almost never did and didn't bode well for those he was against.

"The Joint Counter Terrorist Centre realized they were only able to stop us because we were fighting amongst each other. They may have the capabilities to hold us once in their grasp-"

"Thanks to _him_." Clint muttered, and Jane saw that although Tony had been forgiven, his actions weren't soon to be forgotten.

"But getting us in their grasp…not so much."

"So you made some show of power and unity and they just backed off?" She was sceptical.

"Well that, and Vision showed them the battle on Asgard."

"What?!"

"Odin said that the Infinity Stones have unlimited power and with one in my possession it made me realize that _I_ have, if not unlimited power, then certainly great power. Power which I had not even attempted to use." Said Vision. "It is the Mind Stone that is a part of me and so I used it to enter their minds, show them the battle and a bit of what is to come."

"Essentially they realized that they needed them to defend Earth." A voice said and Jane turned to see Stephen and Wong. "We detected the power surge and came as quickly as we could."

"So you haven't been recruited yet?" Jane asked, surprised that the Avengers had let Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme, slip from their grasp.

"Oh they tried to recruit me." Stephen laughed. "But being Sorcerer Supreme doesn't exactly leave me with much time. We agreed to work on a consultant basis."

"Naturally."

"Congratulations, by the way." He said with a look to her midsection. "And where is the doting father-to-be?"

"Good question." Bruce chimed in.

"He's…busy." Jane's answer was cryptic. "And while he's busy I intend to visit my father, Erik, Darcy and Pepper." She said before they could ask. "So, Tony, can I borrow one of your jets? I promise to bring it back in one piece."

"And what about returning you to Asgard in one piece?" Sif interrupted forcefully.

"Sif-"

"No! My Queen, forgive me, but we really must protest. This is not what was agreed upon."

"Yes, this is madness!" Volstagg agreed.

"Please return to Asgard at once, where we can better protect you." Hogun added.

"If not for yourself then think about what the Allfather will do to us if anything happens to you or your child." Said Fandral, earning raised eyebrows from the Avengers.

"Clearly we're missing something here." Scott muttered to Sam.

"Indeed you are." Said Volstagg. "Primarily that Thor – the Allfather – does not even know she is here, let alone gave his permission for this little excursion."

"I don't need Thor's _permission_ to do anything." Jane snarled. "And you all know he's overreacting. As usual."

"Perhaps, but he is the Allfather and it is his right to overreact if he so chooses." Fandral said. "When we agreed to accompany you here you said it was merely to warn these Avengers of Thanos' more imminent arrival-"

"Wait, what?!" Steve tried to interrupt.

" _Not_ to go off to lord only knows where in this realm!" They continued as if he hadn't spoken.

"We were to be in and out quickly and that is what we shall be. The warning has been given, now it is time to go. We cannot allow you to go off somewhere unknown." Hogun's tone was final.

"Then it's good thing it's not up to you." Jane retorted, though not unkindly, knowing they were only concerned for her safety.

"But it is up to me." Came a deep baritone voice. Everyone had been so focused on their argument that they had failed to notice Thor's arrival.

"Allfather." The Asgardian warriors murmured, bowing before their King.

"Enough, friends, you do not bow to me." He said the often repeated phrase as he patted the nearest to him on the shoulder before walking passed them towards his wife.

"But I'm expected to?" Jane asked, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised, a sure sign her husband had better tread carefully.

"Have I asked you to?" Thor returned, crossing his own arms. This was not the first time they'd had this argument. Jane had confessed to him her talk with Sif from all those months ago and Thor had tried to reassure her he would never try and forcefully bend her to his will or any such thing. She had believed him, and still did logically, though her hormones were a different story; his overprotectiveness often set her off as the pregnancy hormones overrode her brain. "Have I dictated your movements? Have I ever asserted control over you that is technically my right as your husband?" He waited for an answer that didn't come for even in her hormone driven anger, she could not claim he'd ever tried to control her. "No, I have not."

"Then how is it your decision?"

"Because your safety is the one thing I will not play with. I would forsake all nine realms to keep you, and our child, safe. Do not doubt that in this instance if I have to order Heimdall to force you home, send the entire guard to watch over you, and order the Bifrost closed to all but me to keep you safe, then I will." Jane stared at him for a moment before breaking down into tears.

"I'm sorry." She cried, allowing him to take her into his arms and comfort her. "I'm so sorry, I know you just want us safe." Thor murmured that it was all right even as he looked passed her to their friends, most of whom looked in shock, though one whom was outright amused.

"Ah pregnancy hormones...don't miss those one bit." Clint said with a laugh. Thor could not stop the twitch at the corner of his mouth, though he forced himself not to smile and continued to rub his wife's back until she was calm. He then bent to her level and gave her a kiss before taking her hand in his and turning to his fellow Avengers.

"Friends, it has been awhile." He greeted.

"Long enough for you to get leg shackled and crowned King of the gods at any rate." Tony quipped, reaching to shake Thor's hand.

"We are not gods." He reminded them as he had many times before. "And I am not sure I understand what 'leg shackled' means."

"He means married." Jane supplied.

"Ah, I see." He said, though he really didn't. "I am not sure I will ever understand your humour, Tony Stark."

"You're not the only one." Muttered Natasha.

"We have kept an eye on Earth," Thor continued. "Though I am sorry we have been unable to return before now. However, with Asgard in the state it was after Hela's attack it could not be helped."

"You have been busy." T'Challa commented. "We understand."

"Thank you, friend, we have indeed been busy."

"Quite busy, I'd say." Tony couldn't help but add in reference to Jane's pregnancy, a comment that earned him the petite brunette's ire.

"You know of my father's death. Jane and I married and were crowned King and Queen of Asgard as we continued to rebuild. It has been a slow process, and only recently has the Bifrost been completed."

"That's a touching story." Bruce said sincerely but he couldn't help adding. "But what happens when her mortal life ends and you life for another few thousand years? Unless you plan to be all Romeo and Juliet about it."

"Another reference I am unfamiliar with, but whatever it is shall not happen. I am not the first Asgardian to love a mortal. Thanks to the Apple of Yggdrasil, Jane is as much an immortal as I. I'm just lucky she agreed to leave her home to be with me."

"Right…" Tony started after a moment. "So pretending we understood that and getting back to the task at hand…what is this about Thanos?"

"He comes quicker than we thought." Said Thor. "It is why I did not wish you to leave Asgard." He turned to Jane, unamused.

"He's coming faster than we thought, he's not here yet." She defended.

"His reach is far and you cannot guarantee that he is has not extended his influence to Earth, even if he himself is not here yet." Jane had no response to that and so merely stayed quiet, letting Thor win this one as she knew she'd get her way in the end.

"So what do we do?" Asked Peter, who they noticed was not the overexcited teenager they had previously met, though he was still certainly a kid.

"I think the question is what _can_ we do?" Wanda corrected him.

"What's your plan?" Jane asked, looking up at Thor. "I know you, Thor Oddinson, you have a plan." He smirked as he turned his gaze to the sky.

"Heimdall, when you're ready." He spoke to the all-seeing guardian who opened the Bifrost seconds later, bringing to Earth someone those of this realm weren't sure if they ever wanted to see again.

"Loki." Steve greeted, albeit reluctantly, the only one willing to do so. Although they couldn't deny that he'd helped them against Hela, there was still the not so small fact that he'd once tried to take over Earth. The group stared at Loki for a moment before their silence was interrupted by Jane who had turned to her husband.

"No! Absolutely not!" She snapped at him.

"Sweetheart-"

"Don't you sweetheart me!" Her snap turned into a growl. "This is insane! I can't believe you'd even consider this! Don't forget that I can lift Mjölnir too and I will be happy to clobber you with it when we get home!"

"Ok, what is she talking about?" Rhodey asked.

"No clue." Sam answered for them all.

"He means to use Loki as bait." Jane explained unhappily. "Thanos is after him and as he's had a hold of Loki before it'll be easier for him to get his claws in him again."

"To what purpose?" Vision appeared curious and the least hostile towards the one who'd nearly destroyed their world. "I can only think that you mean to have Loki gain Thanos' trust and work from inside to bring him down. However, to do so would require that _we_ trust him not to betray us to Thanos."

"It's not trusting him I'm worried about." Jane murmured. They stared at her for a moment before realization dawned.

"You're worried about him getting hurt." It was all but an accusation.

"Is it so bad I've come to care for him after almost two years of living in the same palace?"

"Yes." Tony's answer was short. "Yes it is."

"Well get over it." She snapped.

"I know I have given you all little cause to trust me."

" _That's_ the understatement of the century." Clint muttered.

"I give you my word as King of Asgard that we can trust him." Thor promised. "It is near impossible to fool the Soul Stone in my possession, even for Loki." That made them feel a little better, though they weren't so quick to trust him as Thor was, especially when they saw Sif's scowl.

"I'm still not sure, but we'll listen to what you have to say." Was all Steve would promise. It was enough though and Thor smiled in acceptance.

"We have enough time to prove to you Loki's loyalty."

"Oh, so we're all going to live for hundreds of years now?" Clint commented again, this time earning a pointed elbow to the ribs from Natasha.

"I shall divulge all shortly." Thor continued as if Clint hadn't spoken. "For now I must face my father-in-law and explain why I've kept his daughter away for so long." Jane smiled and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder only to drop it, and her smile, a moment later.

"Um…I wouldn't worry so much about my father." She said, a scared look on her face that immediately drew Thor's attention.

"Jane, what is it?" The worry in his voice had Loki, Sif and the Warriors Three on guard, though there was nothing that could stop the force of nature that was coming their way.

"JANE FOSTER!" Every head whipped around to face the oncoming projectile.

"Darcy!" Thor called jubilantly.

"I'll get to _you_ in a minute." She growled as she by-passed him, having slowed down some upon seeing Jane's condition, though it still didn't stop her from wrapping her former mentor in a tight embrace. "My god, Jane, you disappear off the face of the Earth and don't even call?!"

"Darcy, I couldn't exactly-"

"I was _so_ worried! Now you show up out of the blue like this? Were you even planning on visiting?"

"Darcy-"

"I missed you so much! There wasn't anyone to talk to with you gone."

"Darcy-"

"And you're pregnant! And Queen of Asgard I hear? How could you not tell me?"

"Darcy!" Jane finally got her to stop talking a mile a minute. "Calm down and I'll explain everything, ok?"

"Calm down?!" She demanded angrily. "I ran here as soon as I got the call and-"

"Got the call?" Now it was Jane's turn to interrupt. "Got the call from whom? We've been here all of-" She cut off as her eyes landed on Tony. "You know what? Forget I even asked." Thor cringed at the look Jane was sending Tony, very glad it wasn't directed at him.

"I would run, Stark." He advised. Tony didn't have to be told twice and began backing away.

"Tony Stark you get back here!"

"No I don't think so."

"You called her?!"

"You were gonna visit her anyways."

"Yes but on my terms! Not facing her wrath because I didn't call her the second I got here!"

"I'm not that bad, am I?" Darcy asked to which Thor wisely remained quiet.

"Tony get back here!" Jane had taken off at a fast walk, chasing after him.

"Should she be chasing someone in her condition?" Peter asked, never having known someone who was pregnant before.

"Even if she shouldn't there is no stopping her." Sif said with a scowl. "Our Queen is quite stubborn."

"Jane, be careful." Thor called, but otherwise made no move to stop her, so no one worried too much if he wasn't panicked. He then turned to Darcy and happily accepted the hug she forced on him. "Change of plans, I suppose. It will hurt a lot less to wait a few hours to see Jane's father then to deny Darcy."

"Wise move." The woman in question said.

"Shall we retire inside, friends? I should find Jane, at any rate."

"You mean before your wife kills Tony?" Natasha asked with a smirk.

"Queen Jane would not harm a soul." Volstagg defended.

"Yeah you better run!" They heard but could not see either Jane or Tony.

"You were saying?" The amusement was clear.

"It's the hormones." Clint said sagely. "She won't kill him though."

"TONY!"

"But she might maim him." He amended. "I'd be careful the closer she gets to her due date. I know Laura became a bit insane, and she's only human." Thor laughed.

"Wiser words were never spoken, my friend. Come! Allow me to fetch my wife and then we shall drink, eat and be merry while we can! Thanos can wait until tomorrow."

"Awesome!" Peter exclaimed, only to get wrapped up in a headlock.

"Yeah, none for you. You're still underage." Said Steve.

"Aw! Come on!" Laughter followed the Avengers inside as they allowed themselves to relax. Thor had said that Thanos could wait till tomorrow and so they unanimously agreed to use what may be their last day of freedom for nothing serious. Tomorrow would come soon enough.

* * *

 **A/N - The end!**

 **This basically leads right into _Infinity War,_ though as I said I'm not going into it in this fic. Who knows though, maybe I will next year when the movie comes out. Thanks for reading!  
**

 **Review please!**


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